One Small Step For Man
by Reeves3
Summary: And one giant leap for Tony Stark. When Tony decides to propose to Pepper, he had no idea that the perfect proposal would be so hard to do...especially if someone out there doesn't want him to pop the question. Pepperony and Post Avengers. Enjoy.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.**

**Author's Note: Okay so I'm excited about this story as the first thing I do after coming back off holiday is post the first chapter. I started this story last week before I went on holiday and completed this chapter and already made a start on Chapter 2 while I was away. This will have lots of Tony and Pepper moments and apperances from the Avengers team.**

**Please oh please let me know if the characters are okay and review if you like the story and want more. I think in total this story will have about 8 chapters so let me know if you enjoy it.**

**Happy reading,**

**Reeves3.**

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**Chapter One**

The arc reactor had continued to glow brightly when his final call to Pepper failed to get through yet Tony felt his heart break behind his suit. _'So I'm not going to hear your voice one last time. I'm never going to be able to see you, smell you or touch you...I'm never going to be able to kiss you again.' _He had thought. However he was prepared to miss those things and face the void so long if it meant he would be saving her life along countless others from the nuclear bomb in his grasp.

The last thing Tony remembered thinking about before being abruptly woken by the Hulk screaming in his face was Pepper and if he were to ever survive being in deep space he would make sure that she knew how much she meant to him.

He had already made a start a year ago when they started dating after the Expo, Hammer and Ivan Vanko mess. For the first six months they had kept it from the public eye as the two of them got more comfortable in a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship rather than just boss/employee. It was glorious being with Pepper in this new way and he had discovered so much more about her and vice versa. The mornings when they woke up side by side together were the days he never wanted to get out of bed where before it would be the days when he had a hangover. He scheduled time to be with her, taking breaks from working on his suits, whether it was a date out or just evenings in gossiping and watching movies while eating pepperoni pizza.

Of course it wasn't always rainbows and sunshine. There were the times when he would come back from a mission battered, bruised and bleeding and Pepper would be there patching him up getting angry at him leaving but also overjoyed that he had returned to her in one piece...just about.

At this present time though Tony lay in bed on his side with Pepper curled against his chest at their home in Malibu. The room was in total darkness except for the light that emitted from his arc reactor.

A week had passed since Tony had seen off Thor and Loki with the others before driving back with Bruce to Stark Tower. Natasha, Clint and Steve had all gone back to their apartments in the city but as Bruce had travelled from India, he needed a place to stay so Tony had offered him shelter at Stark Tower which was currently under remodelling but Bruce didn't mind...he had lived in worse conditions.

Pepper stirred in her sleep and Tony watched her with a held breath as she simply moved her arm from her side and rested it on his arc reactor. He breathed again and just watched Pepper sleep, feeling his heart beat against his chest.

He had given her his love, she had moved in with him, their relationship had gone public and he had given her 12% of Stark Tower and the next tower was all hers but now Tony was ready for the next step. He wanted to get down on one knee and hear Pepper agree to marry him.

Tony sighed happily then he closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep dreaming of the prospect that the woman next to him might one day be his wife. What felt like two minutes but was actually seven hours later Tony heard Pepper whispering.

"It's time to wake up Tony," she murmured. Tony groaned and tightened his grip around Pepper and heard her sigh.

"Tony...," she started.

"No. Too early," he mumbled, his face squished against the pillow, his eyes tight shut. Pepper sighed contently and scooted closer, pressing her body against his, and trailed some butterfly kisses along chest and up to his neck.

Tony grunted as he felt Pepper's hand travel across his stomach and to the top of his boxers. "Miss Pott's that is not the most effective way of getting me out of bed but please don't stop."

"I know Mr Stark however it's the most effective way of waking you up," replied Pepper. Tony opened his eyes and saw Pepper looking up at him with a smile on her face. He grinned in return and leaned down and placed his lips over hers in a passionate kiss.

Many hours later and into the afternoon Pepper had gone to Stark Industries to attend a meeting that Tony had refused to go to saying he was going to be busy working on his suits. The truth was he was spending that time searching for engagement rings on the internet.

"JARVIS, what do you think of this one?" Tony asked. His eyes were glued to the many screens in front of him that his A.I had brought up as he sat on his desk and swiped his hand in the air to magnify the image he was talking about.

"Sir, I don't think Miss Pott's taste of jewellery is to have a diamond the size of Jupiter on her hand," JARVIS replied, his voice filled with disdain.

"So a no then on the large diamond?" Tony asked, sceptically.

"A definite no, sir," said JARVIS. Tony shrugged and closed the browser. He picked up his drink of lemonade and took a sip before setting the glass back down and continuing with his search.

"There are so many choices, how am I meant to know which one is the right one?" Tony asked, feeling slightly dejected at the amount of engagement websites there were and how many pages were on each one.

"Might I suggest you have a look through Miss Potts existing jewellery? It will give you an idea of the kind she prefers," suggested JARVIS. Tony's eyes brightened at the idea.

"Great idea JARVIS, I knew I built you for a reason!"

"Of course sir and after all this time I thought it was because you wanted to challenge yourself at twenty to build an artificial intelligence that will run the house," said JARVIS, his voice filled with sarcasm. Tony looked up at the ceiling.

"You know you're getting entirely too cocky," he said.

"I learn from the best sir," JARVIS smoothly replied.

"Damn right you do," cheered Tony, proudly. He leapt up off the desk and made his way upstairs to the master bedroom and over to the counter where Pepper kept her jewellery. There was an unbelievable amount of earrings, a couple of necklaces and bracelets and a small box filled with a few rings. All of them were either platinum or silver bands and the stones were equal size and shape but different on each, some were emeralds, diamonds and sapphires.

Now that he knew the sort of rings Pepper wore he went back down into his workshop and typed in what he had found out upstairs. A list of rings came up and Tony was happy to see they were a lot more Pepper looking than the ones he had been looking at before.

"Sir, Colonel James Rhodes is approaching the front door," informed JARVIS. "Should I let him in?"

"Yeah sure, send him in," Tony muttered, hardly hearing what JAVIS had said because he was too busy gazing at the screens in front of him. A couple of minutes later he heard Rhodey's footsteps retreat down the stairs to his workshop and heard the code being punched in at the door before it opened.

"Hey Rhodey, I need your help. What do you think, a solitaire cut or a square cut?" Tony asked. James frowned and walked over to where Tony was and glanced at all the windows open in front of him.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Tony gave him a look as though the answer was obvious.

"What do you mean, what am I doing? What does it look like I'm doing? I'm shopping for an engagement ring, that's what," said Tony.

"You're going to propose to Pepper?" asked Rhodey, flabbergasted.

"No, you my darling," said Tony, grinning lovingly at him. Rhodey shoved Tony's head away but smiled at the chuckling genius.

"I can't believe it. You're really going to ask Pepper to marry you?" asked James. He could barely believe the words had come out of Tony's mouth. Suddenly he grinned and cheekily said. "Wow, Tony Stark settling down, who'd of thought it?"

"Yep, I know it but it was bound to happen sooner or later. Pepper never would have been able to keep her hands off me for that long," said Tony, quite confidently. Rhodey snorted.

"You keep telling yourself that Tony."

"It worked on you, didn't it? You can't leave me alone for a day, speaking of which, what are you doing here?" Tony asked, curiously.

"Well other than to see you? Nah, I just got off from work and I need to ask you about your impromptu trip to deep space a couple of weeks ago?" Rhodey said.

"What about it?" Tony asked. "I thought S.H.I.E.L.D already talked to you guys about it all?"

"They did but this isn't the military questioning, it's me," Rhodey said seriously. "I need to know if your okay, I read in the report that your reactor was out for a few minutes and you did travel further where no sane human would go and I would have come over sooner to ask this but we've had to clear up a lot of mess the Avengers made."

Tony smiled slightly, feeling lucky to have a friend like Rhodey. He hadn't seen his military friend since he had come back from New York but they had spoke on the phone now and then. The pair had been through a lot together and it showed a mark of brotherly love that Rhodey was checking up on him in his free time.

"Yeah I'm fine. I've had JARVIS scan me at Stark Tower and the shrapnel didn't move while my reactor was out so that was a relief for Pepper and myself. But, honestly, I really didn't think I was going to come back when I flew through that portal. I just remember everything slowing down and feeling very cold...like that time we went skiing and you didn't think I would be brave enough-,"

"Not brave, Tony, stupid," interjected Rhodey. Tony carried on like he hadn't heard him.

"- to skinny dip in the lake but when I didn't resurface you jumped in yourself just as I pulled myself out the lake on the opposite side. So it was cold like that, then I remember falling and everything going dark and thinking I if I survive I should do everything I've always wanted to do."

"Is that what this is about?" Rhodey asked, his eyes glancing briefly at the rings on display.

"Sure is and this defiantly isn't impromptu. This is something I've wanted from the start, it's just taken me a few near death experiences to realise it," said Tony, joking slightly.

"Well I'm happy for you Tony and I'm glad you're okay," said James. He clapped Tony on the shoulder.

"Cheers buddy. So do you want to help me search for rings?" Tony asked. James smiled.

"Sure thing." Dummy and Butterfingers brought a beer for the two of them and for a couple of hours they browsed at rings, drank their beer and chatted about everything.

"God, can you imagine the field day the paparazzi are going to have when they find out about this?" Rhodey asked.

"Well there not going to. I'm off to New York in a couple of days to see the final construction of Stark Tower, well the unofficial Avengers Headquarters now, apparently, so I'll ask Bruce to help me out," said Tony. He picked up his drink and drained the last remaining dregs of beer at the bottom.

"You're going to ask him to get the ring for you?"

"I don't want the pap's finding out because if they do, it'll be all over the news and I want to keep it a surprise for Pepper. I don't want her to find out when she sits down with the newspaper one day to see the headline _'Tony Stark Prepares To Propose But Keep It Quiet Because He Hasn't Asked Her Yet!_" said Tony. Rhodey laughed as Tony set down the bottle and glanced back at the screen where he immediately froze at the sight of the ring on display.

"What?" James asked, his chuckling slowed down while watching Tony's expression turn from shock to wonder.

"That's it! That's the ring!" the billionaire exclaimed.

It was platinum with the main diamond, in a solitaire cut, clutched in a four cornered claw at the top with a cluster of smaller diamonds circling it and travelling down the shoulders of the ring. It was simple, elegant and perfect for Pepper.

"JARVIS! Ask them to put it on hold for me," asked Tony, excitedly.

"Sir, I thought you wanted to keep a low profile of your engagement to Miss Pott's. Should I tell them or not that it is you who wants the ring on hold?" questioned the AI. Tony frowned.

"Hmm, good point," said Tony. Slowly he looked at Rhodey with puppy dog eyes. "Can I use your name?"

"Go for it, anything I can do to help," said Rhodey. Tony grinned widely and JARVIS made sure the ring was on hold under James Rhodes name but had been prepaid for with Tony's money. When the payment went through Tony was practically dancing as he jumped for joy.

"You do realise that Pepper hasn't said yes yet?" Rhodey asked, after coming back from getting a couple more beers from the fridge.

"I know but now I'm one step closer," said Tony, accepting the beer off Rhodey. They unscrewed the caps off them and clinked them together in celebration.

"So how are you going to propose?" Rhodey asked, before taking a sip. Tony paused from taking a drink and with wide eyes said...

"I haven't thought about that."

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**Thank you for reading.**

**I hope you enjoyed it, I shall update as soon as I can and don't forget to leave a review.**

**Reeves3.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.**

**Author's Note: Wow thank you so much everyone who has favourited, alerted and reviewed this story so far. It's been great.**

**This chapter is a little filler and forgive me for the long discription of Stark Tower but if I write future Iron Man fanfics, it's easier to describe it in one story than to do so in every fanfic that the tower appears in. **

**Once again, I hope the characters are in character and I hope you all enjoy this update.**

**Happy reading,**

**Reeves3.**

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**Chapter Two**

Three days later...

Tony stepped out from the driver's seat of his car, the Acura NSX with the Stark 33 licence plate, and was immediately swamped by some of the many bystanders in New York. The cheers made him smile and he raised his hands with a peace sign that caused the fans to go wild. He grinned; he loved this. He signed the autographs in Iron Man's signature and his own, accepted a bunch of flowers, dodged a bra and posed for a few photographs until two of his bodyguards stepped forward and allowed him to move towards the entrance of the newly restored Stark Tower.

When the sliding doors closed behind him the cheers died down and Tony looked around the atrium. In front of him was a receptionist sitting behind an arched desk with her eyes glued to her computer as she typed away. Behind her was the arc reactor that powered the whole building. It was lucky the reactor hadn't been damaged during the battle otherwise the whole tower would have been destroyed. It was completely silent and the electric shocks were fascinating to watch.

"Did someone throw a bra at you?" a voice asked to his left. Tony turned to his side and smiled when he saw Bruce Banner leaning against the wall after having watched Tony being practically mobbed by the people outside.

"You should have been there when I put myself up at a Bachelor Auction for charity, I must have got about fifty thongs hurled at me that night," said Tony, smirking. Bruce chuckled and stepped forward and the two greeted one another with a friendly hug.

"How have you been?" Tony asked. "Have you had fun playing with my toys?"

"A lot of fun and I've been good, thanks. How have you been? I haven't heard from any of the others, have you?" Bruce asked, curious. Tony shook his head.

"I wouldn't worry S.H.I.E.L.D is like that but we'll talk all about that stuff later. I'm great, got some news but I'll talk about that too you later as I need a favour off you. How is the green machine?" Bruce gave him a look but Tony's expression remained innocent.

"The other guy is fine," Bruce answered slowly.

"So we're not going to get a visit from him today?" asked Tony, before pinching Bruce's arm.

"Ow and no we're not. You've just had this place rebuilt do you want me to put Tony Stark shaped holes in the walls and floors instead of puny gods?" Bruce asked smiling while rubbing his arm.

"That's true. Pepper will be pissed if she finds out I caused the building to collapse on its reopening day. Maybe another time?" asked Tony, slightly hopeful.

"We'll see," Bruce muttered dryly.

"That's more like it," Tony said, grabbing Bruce's shoulder and bringing him in close for a one sided hug. They started to move towards the receptionist and Bruce offered to show Tony around to see the new improvements they had made to the tower.

"Lead the way," said Tony. He quickly handed the flowers he had been given outside to the receptionist and she smiled at him in thanks. Bruce led Tony to the elevator while chatting enthusiastically about the building and what the new Headquarters looked like.

"Well everything from the ground floor to level 80 remained intact despite a few broken windows and cracked walls caused by the Chitauri's weapons but they were all easily fixed. It's the top thirteen floors that were hit hardest. I'll tell you now Tony, it's fantastic up there," said Bruce. He pushed the button for level 80 and the doors slid shut.

"I was allowed to keep the bar so it should all be fine with me," said Tony as they started to travel up. Floors one to twenty were all offices and board rooms for the New York division of Stark Industries. Levels twenty one to forty was an armoury where the weapons for the Avengers were created, tested, sorted and stored. The next ten floors was the medical bay – the towers hospital for staff and superhero's. From floors fifty to eighty was Research and Development where the workers invented new products for Stark Industries and The Avengers. Tony and Bruce were tempted to stop off at this level and spend the rest of the day there but Bruce saw sense and they carried on up.

Finally the elevator stopped at level 80 and the doors smoothly slid open. Tony was greeted to the sight of a small corridor with a double door at the end and a keypad on the side of the wall. Tony and Bruce stepped out the elevator and walked over to the control panel.

"JARVIS?" called Tony.

"I am here sir. For security purposes only the Avengers and a few selected others are allowed up to the next thirteen floors and roof. Please place your hand on the pad so I can scan your fingerprints and begin your access code," instructed JARVIS.

Tony placed his hand on the scanner and watched the white light travel up and down the screen as it coped his hand print into JARVIS'S system. Next Tony had to put in a four digit number on the keypad. Usually he had trouble with remembering codes, his social security number for a start, but he thought he might be able to remember this code as he typed in Pepper's birthday.

"Welcome to The Avengers Headquarters," said JARVIS, as he accepted Tony's code. Bruce pushed open the double doors and Tony was greeted to the sight of a vast room filled with all sorts of gym equipment. In one corner of the room was a set of stairs that led up to a door which Tony knew, as he thought back to when he and Pepper re-planned this top part of the building, was another entrance to the Avengers living quarters.

"Well the training area turned out great," said Tony, impressed. He went over to an exercise bike and sat on it, leaning back casually as he lazily peddled. The two spent about thirty minutes looking at all the gym equipment and taking a five minute break to put on boxing gloves and have a small round in the ring, Tony's idea to try and provoke the Hulk, the pair walked out the doors and back to the main elevator that also led up to the residence of the Avengers. When the elevator reached level 90 the doors slid open and Tony and Bruce were out on a similar corridor to the one on level 80. Bruce put his hand on the scanner and JARVIS gave them access inside.

The layout was very similar to the previous one with the lavish decor and design, the bar, the kitchen, living area, the little hallway that led to the main bedroom and ensuite bathroom and the platform that led outside so he could change into his suit. The difference was the spiral staircase. Halfway up the stairs it opened out to the second floor of the penthouse and to the five extra bedrooms and bathrooms where the rest of the team would sleep.

When Tony and Bruce carried on up the stairs and to the third and top floor they found themselves in a circular room with glass panels on every wall for a 360 degree view of the city.

"This is the fantastic part," Bruce said. "Um JARVIS, holograms up please?"

"Certainly Dr Banner," replied JARVIS. The windows dimmed lightly as the holographic computer displays filled the room. Tony and Bruce grinned like children in candy land but before they started on any work Bruce had to show Tony one more thing. They went to the fire escape and opened the door and they were both out on to the roof. Two helicopters and three Quinjets were placed here on the aero-pad. From this height the wind would surely have blown them sideways but thanks to Tony's genius he had designed a protective dome to cover the top of the roof to keep possible threats in or out.

"Not bad Stark," a feminine voice said, from behind. Tony and Bruce jumped and simultaneously turned around to see Black Widow aka Natasha sitting on the right wing of one of the Quinjets.

"What is with the security in this place?" Tony practically yelled to no one in particular. Natasha jumped off the wing and walked over to the two scientists.

"Seriously, when did you get here?" Bruce asked.

"Two hours ago. Barton is already unpacking in his bedroom," said Natasha.

"Oh and I suppose Captain America is in the training room?" Tony asked, sarcastically.

"No, he's still on his small tour of New York after we last saw each other," informed Natasha. "He'll be back sometime next week though."

"How do you know all this?" Tony asked. Natasha only smiled.

The three of them headed back to the war room but Natasha carried on downstairs to unpack her own things. Being in front of these holograms and with a few TV stations being projected onto the dimmed windows Tony started to feel at home and he and Bruce easily fell into conversation.

"So what's this favour you mentioned earlier downstairs?" Bruce asked, two hours later when their current discussion had died down. He saw the corners of Tony's lips twitch into a small lopsided smile and immediately Bruce got the feeling something was up. Good or bad, he couldn't tell just yet.

"I'm proposing to Pepper," Tony announced. He watched carefully at Bruce's reaction.

Bruce had only met Pepper a few times during the couple of days Tony and Pepper stayed in New York after the battle against Loki. Like Tony, she didn't mind having someone new share Stark Tower with them and welcomed him with open arms and there were few people who were willing to do that so Bruce felt comfortable around Pepper. Bruce had only ever caught one intimate moment between the two and he wasn't likely going to forget it.

It was the night after the battle and Steve, Natasha and Clint were all still outside in Manhattan helping clean the place up while Pepper, Tony, Thor and Bruce all went back to the tower for a nightcap. Pepper had arrived earlier in the day but she hadn't said much to Tony only that 'she was fine and she was glad he was too' but that was it. In the tower Thor quickly fell asleep on the master bed and no amount of prodding off Tony would get the God of Thunder to budge so he and Pepper could have their bed. Instead they decided to sleep out in the living area and Bruce took the floor in the master bedroom.

An hour later he was still awake, mostly because of Thor snoring, and decided to get a glass of water. He was in the corridor when the yells began. There had been shouting and a lot of it, mostly on Pepper's half, and some joking attempts to make the situation better, mostly on Tony's half which just made Pepper even madder that caused her to shout louder and for Tony to make even worse jokes. At this point Bruce was about to turn around and head back to the bedroom when the tables turned and Pepper wasn't shouting anymore but crying heart wrenching tears into Tony's shoulder and he held her in his arms as though he never wanted to let go as his own eyes glossed over with unshed tears.

It had been very strange Bruce had thought when he crept back to his bedroom, that the couple could go from shouts and screams to a tender loving moment such as that hug and the only way it could make sense is if they were in love with each other because only someone who could calm the other down like that was if they cared deeply for one another.

Right now Bruce could see Tony waiting for his reaction and he blinked, to clear his thoughts and gave the billionaire a smile.

"That's amazing," Bruce finally said. "Congratulations."

Tony's face brightened and he grinned at his friend. "Thanks."

"So what do you want me to do?" Bruce asked, still slightly suspicious.

"I need you to get the ring for me from the jewellers. I don't want to risk the media finding out about this and spoiling the surprise before I can ask Pepper."

"Yeah, of course I can. Do you want me to go now?" Bruce asked. Tony didn't say it but the look in his eyes was enough. He was excited and he wanted to see the ring as soon as possible. Tony told Bruce which jewellers it was and made sure Bruce used the name James Rhodes when collecting the ring.

When Bruce left the room Tony went back to one of the screens and carried on researching different ways he could improve his suits. After ten minutes a phone call through JARVIS came up on the screen in front of him. It was Pepper and Tony answered the call.

"Hey Pep," he said.

"Hello, what does the tower look like?" Pepper couldn't help but ask.

"What no hey sexy? No, how's my sex god?" asked Tony.

"I'm with Happy, he's driving me back to the house, I'm not saying that Tony in front of him or ever for that matter," Pepper replied. Tony could hear the smile on her lips.

"I bet I could make you say it," Tony challenged, suggestively.

"Enough Tony, now tell me how is the tower?"

"Positively genius, I know our first baby was fantastic but our second baby has jets and helicopters on the roof!" said Tony, giddy with excitement. He heard Pepper laugh.

"And I'm assuming you're in the war room playing with your toys?" she asked.

"You know me to well. Bruce has just gone out for...a late lunch and Natasha and Clint are unpacking. Steve isn't here," said Tony. "What's up?"

"Nothing major, I've been told there's a charity event in New York on Monday that we've both been invited to so I'm going to fly over this evening," said Pepper.

"Does that mean we get to christen our bed in the tower tonight?" Tony asked, cheekily.

"With that attitude, it'll be the couch for you."

"The couch is brand new too so we can christen that if you want as well. I don't mind," said Tony, grinning.

"I'm hanging up now Tony. I'll see you in a few hours," said Pepper.

"You complete me," Tony said, before Pepper hanged up the phone.

"Once again sir, you prove to be quite the gentleman," said JARVIS. Tony chose to ignore that comment and continued to work until Bruce came back with a paper bag in one hand and a subway sandwich in the other. Tony leapt up off his spinning chair and sent it rolling across the room as he approached Bruce and took the bag off him.

"Cheers for this Bruce, I owe you one," said Tony. Bruce shook his head.

"Letting me stay here was enough. You don't owe me anything," said Bruce. He went back downstairs to eat his lunch and Tony smiled before he dug into the bag and pulled out a small black velvet box. He lifted the lid and his smile turned into a beam as he saw the ring for the first time.

Meanwhile his happiness was being watched by a stranger through a pair of binoculars.

"I can confirm target has the ring," the man said, from his position on a rooftop. He pressed a finger to his ear piece and listened to the reply from his boss.

"Keep a constant watch on him and report back to me in an hour," his boss replied, the voice crackled and fuzzed through the connection but the scout heard it.

"Understood boss."

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**Dun, dun, dun! Who's watching Tony then? Hmmm?**

**Tony's first attempt at a proposal is coming up in the next chapter so stay tuned for that.**

**Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed the chapter, I shall update as soon as I can and don't forget to leave a review.**

**Reeves3.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.**

**Author's Note: Thank you so much for the reviews. You're all great! :D**

**This chapter just kept going and going. I honestly didn't know when to end it but this is only 419 words more than the previous chapter so that's fine with me. I hope this chapter is okay and you all enjoy it.**

**Happy reading,**

**Reeves3.**

* * *

**Chapter Three**

On the Monday morning of the charity event Tony awoke to the smell of bacon and bread crisping in the toaster. He opened his eyes slightly and squinted at the light before turning onto his side and reaching for Pepper only to find her side of the bed was empty. He groaned and buried his head deep into his pillow.

"Pepper..." he called out, his voice muffled.

Sighing Tony rolled onto his back and he was about to grab the duvet, that was only covering his lower half, so he could sleep for another three hours but the smell of food overpowered him and he forced himself out of bed. Half asleep he clumsily managed to put on some baggy trousers and an old top he found discarded on the floor.

Out of habit, that had started since he got the ring, he grabbed the dresser stool and took it over to the wardrobe, where he stood on it and peeked over the top and was reassured when he saw the little square box was still there. It had been a nightmare to try and find some place that Pepper wouldn't look at and so far she hadn't bothered to look at the top of the wardrobe so Tony was happy to keep hiding the ring there.

In the main living area a fully dressed Clint was sat on the settee hunched over as he ate his cereal and watched the news on the TV that JARVIS had projected onto a window.

"What's happening in the world this morning?" Tony asked, not bothering to stop and look at the TV.

"A dog has learned how to water-ski," said Clint.

"Fantastic," replied Tony straight away. He walked on through into the kitchen area and saw Pepper at the stove. She didn't notice his entrance as her back was too him so he quietly crept towards her.

Pepper smiled as she felt Tony's arc reactor press against her back as he wrapped his arms around her front and placed a kiss on her shoulder.

"Morning," Tony hummed.

"Good morning," she said, brightly. She turned her head and they gave each other a quick kiss just before the toast popped up from the toaster. "Could you butter that for me?"

"Sure." Tony detangled himself from Pepper and picked out the hot toast and set it down on a plate. He opened the fridge and got out the butter and a knife from out of the draw.

"What's the plan for today?" Tony asked, as he buttered.

"I have work to do and so do you," Pepper said, adding the fried eggs and crispy bacon from the pan onto the plate. Tony cut the slices of toast in half, put them on Pepper's plate and tossed the knife into the sink and Pepper took her food over to the table and sat down. Tony grabbed a box of cereal and sat down opposite her.

"Aren't you going to have milk?" Pepper asked. Tony shook his head and started munching away as Pepper shook her head and started to eat her breakfast.

"What time does this gala fundraiser ball start tonight?" Tony asked, popping a honey nut loop in his mouth.

"It starts at eight. I've already told you six times over the weekend," said Pepper.

"Hmm, I don't remember," said Tony.

"It's alright. I'm amazed you remembered that it's tonight," said Pepper, smiling slightly.

"See, miracles do happen," said Tony, grinning. Natasha entered the kitchen at that moment, appearing fully dressed and looked ready for the day.

"Talking about yourself again Stark?" she asked. In her confident manner she strode to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of water.

"In case you aren't aware of this already Miss Romanoff but I only ever talk about the important things in life," said Tony, smirking. Natasha rolled her eyes and Clint entered the room and deposited his empty bowl in the sink.

"Barton and I are at S.H.I.E.L.D if anyone needs us," she said, before walking out the room with Clint following her.

"Have fun," Tony hollered. "Oh and can you pick up some doughnuts when you come back?"

The sound of a door slamming was his answer.

Hours later in the middle of the afternoon Pepper was in the living room on the phone to Stark Industries in Los Angeles with a mass of paperwork laid out in front of her on the table along with her laptop. While in the war room upstairs Bruce was reading diagnostics on the holographic screen in front of him and Tony was playing with his transparent PDA.

"What are you doing with that?" Bruce asked, enquiringly.

"Check this out," said Tony. He swiped his finger across the screen in the direction towards Bruce and the image on the PDA appeared on the holographic screen Bruce had been reading from. The words 'Will You Marry Me' appeared in white swirly writing against a dark background and little fireworks went off on the screen. Bruce raised his eyebrow.

"I'm flattered Tony but I have to decline," he said, smirking. Tony resisted the eye roll.

"Not you. Tonight at the charity party I'm going to propose to Pepper."

"And this comes into it how?" Bruce asked, pointing at the screen. Tony just smiled secretly and tapped his nose. Stiletto heels could suddenly be heard approaching up the stairs and Tony quickly cleared the screens seconds before Pepper entered the room.

"I'm going to a meeting downstairs on floor seven," said Pepper.

"How long will you be?" Tony asked.

"Maybe an hour?" suggested Pepper. "Why?"

"Curious," Tony simply said. Pepper frowned suspiciously and her blue eyes flickered over to Bruce to see if he was hiding something but the doctor had his back turned to her. She looked back at Tony who was giving her his most innocent look. "See you in a bit," he added sweetly.

"See you in a bit," Pepper repeated. She slowly left the room and Tony watched her go, a playful smile on his lips, as those swaying hips disappeared from his sight. He listened carefully and heard Pepper leave.

"Right I'm off," said Tony, standing up from his chair.

"And where are you going?" asked Bruce, as Tony started to make his way down the stairs.

"For a fly," said Tony. "Don't tell Pepper!"

He went down the steps and entered the empty living room. Tony approached the windows, one of which was a sliding door that led out onto the platform, he slid it open and was greeted to the warm breeze outside. He placed his feet on the marked spot and immediately the mechanism started to emerge from the sides to fit the Mark VI to his body as he slowly swaggered forward. Finally his helmet clicked into place and Iron Man took off into the sky.

"JARVIS, let me know if Pepper comes out the meeting early," asked Tony.

"Yes sir," JARVIS replied in his ear.

Zigzagging in-between the buildings Tony went like a rocket and waved to the office workers with their noses pressed against the glass, to get a good look at him, on the top floor of the tallest skyscrapers. Now this wasn't a casual flight, well most of it was as Tony always enjoyed flying in his suit, but Tony had planned another motive to go out in his suit today. He flew over to the building where the charity ball was being held tonight and saw below staff and delivery people getting preparations ready.

Iron Man landed on the rooftop garden. A man who was setting up the tables nearby just gawked at him. Tony walked around the edge until he found a building opposite that displayed a digital billboard. Tony targeted the small computer at the back of the billboard and he brought up his PDA on the screen in front of his eyes. After a bit of hacking Tony was granted control of the billboard so now it could be used as a projector for his PDA.

"Excuse me? Can I help you with something?"

Tony turned around and saw that the man had approached him.

"I'm fine, thanks," spoke Iron Man's electronic voice. The staff member nodded his head nervously and started to walk away when an idea sprung forth in Tony's mind.

"Actually, wait come back here," he called. He beckoned with his middle and index finger and the man in his early twenties toddled back to Iron Man. Tony put a metal arm around his shoulders and looked at the man's name badge that read Andrew.

"W-What can I do for you?" asked Andrew, his eyes wide with awe.

"Can you tell me what the decorations will be like up here tonight?" Tony asked, through Iron Man's helmet.

"Umm, a few tables and chairs, the lampposts will be lit in each corner and there will be music...oh and fairy lights will be strung between each lamppost," said Andrew. Tony nodded his head.

"Yeah that sounds good, try and get some flowers up here too," he said.

Andrew shook his head up and down. "I'll see what I can do."

"Cheers see you tonight," said Tony. He held out his hand to Andrew who shook it timidly and with that Iron Man took off leaving Andrew wondering if that had just really happened.

As the time went by the evening arrived and at half seven Tony and Pepper started to get ready. Pepper was shut in the bathroom and Tony was in the bedroom slipping into his jacket. He looked in the mirror and straightened his bow tie and fastened his cufflinks on his shirt sleeves.

"Are you ready to go Tony?" Pepper's voice asked from the bathroom.

"Yep," he answered. Tony smoothed down his jacket and felt the ring resting in his inner pocket and he smiled. He was ready.

The bathroom door opened and Pepper stepped out in an indigo chiffon dress. Tony's eyebrows shot up and he smiled pleasantly as he took the image in. It was a strapless dress that reached down to Pepper's toes and had an embellished sequined waistline. It's light and floaty material fitted to her body perfectly and made it seem as though Pepper was gliding towards him.

"Wow..." was all Tony could say. "You look beautiful."

Pepper blushed and smiled; she couldn't help but say back. "You don't look so bad yourself."

They made eye contact and Tony lightly bit his lip as a pleasurable heat passed between them. Pepper saw the hungry look in Tony's eyes and knew she must be wearing a similar expression but her promptness to be on schedule kicked in.

"We don't have time for that," she said. Tony glanced at his watch.

"We have six minutes," he said, grinning. Pepper just smacked his arm and moved past him to pick up her wrap. Tony sighed and he went to hold open the bedroom door.

"We're going now children," Tony announced, upon entering the living area. Bruce and Natasha turned their heads away from the TV and followed Tony and Pepper's movements with their eyes.

"Have fun," said Bruce.

"You three-," Tony scanned the room. "Hey, where's bird man?" he asked, realising Clint wasn't in the room.

"He's still at S.H.I.E.L.D," replied Natasha.

"Right then," said Tony. Slowly he smirked. "You two behave yourselves tonight." He wriggled his eyebrows suggestively and Pepper pushed him out the room before Natasha could kill him. After a quick ride down in the elevator, Tony and Pepper walked out into the lobby and out the glass doors where a limousine was parked. The air was warm with a cool breeze but the sky held thick grey clouds that looked ready to burst so the couple hurriedly got into the car.

After a ten minute journey they reached their destination. Expensive cars and other limousines were lined up and down the street as valets opened up the car doors in front of the building to let the famous celebrities exit there vehicles. When their limo door opened Tony smoothly slid out and offered his hand to Pepper as she graciously emerged from the stretched car.

They walked up the stairs staying in the middle of the red carpet they were walking on and gave greetings to the entrepreneurs and philanthropists making their way into the building. The ground floor was holding the silent auction so that when people were finished making bids they could go upstairs to the ballroom.

Tony was pleased to see a crowd gathered around his donated item – a meet and greet with The Avengers – of course he hadn't told the others about it yet but he was sure they'd be fine about it.

They picked up a glass of champagne each from the waiter and made their way slowly around the room as Tony insisted on bidding for every item that peeked his interest.

"I wonder what that fountain highest bid is over there," Tony wondered aloud. Pepper frowned and looked over in the direction he was looking at.

"Tony that's part of the decoration," said Pepper. Tony smiled.

"I could still get it," he said. Pepper laughed and the two of them carried on walking around only stopping occasionally to chat to the people they knew. Eventually they made their way upstairs where a string quartet was playing as couples waltzed around on the dance floor as others sat around tables eating, drinking and conversing. Tony and Pepper joined a table with Reed and Sue Richards to have their meal.

Around half eight in the evening the bidding came to a stop and at nine the winners were announced. The host stood on a stage in front of a podium as he called out using a microphone.

"Congratulations Mr Stan Lee for winning the ride in the Fantasticar and a tour of the Fantastic Four headquarters. On to our next lot and it is the weekend away at Canyon Ranch spa resort for two. The winner is, with a very generous bid of half a million, is Mr Anthony Stark!"

A small spotlight hit Tony as the hundreds of guests in the ballroom clapped as he approached the stage and claimed his prize. When he got back to the table and sat down next to Pepper she leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"Why did you bid for a spa day? You hate those kinds of things."

"I know," said Tony. "I got it for you."

Pepper felt her heart skip a beat at his sweet gesture and she smiled widely at him. Tony leaned over and pressed a kiss in her hair, just behind the back of her ear.

"Do you want to go up to the roof?" he whispered, huskily. His breath tickled her ear and Pepper nodded her head. They got up from the table and headed to the stairs and gradually walked up them until they arrived outside. The air was much cooler now and the clouds above were still grey, in the distance a low rumble could be heard. Flowers were spread around all over the place and fairy lights dangled from corner to corner giving it a secluded romantic touch. Tony led Pepper towards the electronic billboard and side by side they leaned against the brick wall.

'_Okay Stark,'_ thought Tony, his eyes never leaving Pepper. _'You get one shot at this so make sure you do it right.'_

"It's funny how we end up on rooftops after a night out," he started. Pepper glanced at him and smiled. "We had our almost first kiss on one and then we did have our first kiss on one. I think I should tell you now on this rooftop that you are the most stunning, gorgeous...caring, funny, loyal and smart and at times so annoyingly stubborn it drives me around the bend but there isn't anyone else in this galaxy who I would rather spend the rest of my days with."

Tony put a hand into his jacket pocket and by memory started to press the series of buttons that would get his proposal onto the billboard. The light from the lampposts around the garden reflected the unshed tears glistening in Pepper's blue eyes.

"Tony..." Pepper started to say.

Stationed further down the street and squatting on a rooftop with a clear view of Tony Stark and the electric billboard, through night vision goggles, was a spy. He saw his target playing with his phone in his pocket, out of Pepper Pott's view, and the scout picked up his weapon. He took a deep breath and aimed.

A bang pierced the night air that echoed all around the city which was followed by a few screams.

The lightning strike had landed smack down in the middle of the street. The lights all over the city went out with pops causing glass to rain down and Tony covered Pepper from the shards. Below them cars to screech to a halt as a loud rumble filled the din of honking horns and people's clamour. Another crash of lightening streaked across the sky and the pouring rain soon followed.

The scout retracted his weapon and fled into the shadows.

"Pep, are you okay?" Tony asked. He straightened himself up and Pepper did the same. Their hands clasped together.

"Yes I'm fine. What's going on?" asked Pepper. The pair leaned over the side and looked down at the street where the lightning had struck. In the headlights of a taxi Tony could see the God of Thunder turning around in circles as he took in where he was.

"Is that Thor?" Pepper asked, taken aback. Tony couldn't believe it. Of all the times to come back to Earth the god just had to do it as he was about to propose.

"Yeah," he said, slightly dazed but also felt very frustrated. "Let's go down and get him."

Tony led the way downstairs and back into the ballroom where it was as dark as a mine and everyone was trying to call for order. Tony kept hold of Pepper's hand as he led them through the crowds and down to the ground floor and out the building. They walked up the street and rounded the corner and saw Thor still standing in the middle of the street.

"Thor!" shouted Tony.

The god with Mjölnir in his grasp turned around and upon seeing his fellow comrade and his lady partner in tow he grinned.

"Man of Iron!" he exclaimed, loudly. He stormed over to them and picked up Tony in a death gripping hug.

"T-Thor-gak- let go, I can't breathe," Tony wheezed.

"Oh excuse me," said Thor. He put down Tony who made a mental note to ask J.A.R.V.I.S later to scan his body for broken ribs. Pepper put a comforting hand on Tony's shoulder and spoke up to Thor.

"Thor, what are you doing here?" she asked, feeling confused and curious. Thor's face darkened and became very severe.

"I've sensed trouble approaching maiden Potts," Thor informed, gravely. Tony's ears pricked up and he looked at Thor with serious eyes.

"What kind of trouble? Is it Loki? Has he escaped?" Tony asked, hastily.

"No, Loki is safely locked up on Asgard and what peril is approaching I do not know but I felt it to be my duty to come and bare this unfortunate news" said Thor. Tony nodded his head slowly.

"Okay Thor, okay," he muttered.

An hour later, after a ride back to Stark Tower in a cab with Thor and then explaining to Bruce, Clint and Natasha what had transpired that nightfall, Tony was very relieved to enter his bedroom with Pepper. While she used the bathroom Tony took out the ring from his pocket and hid it at the top of the wardrobe. He then shrugged off his jacket and tossed it on the nearby chair before sitting down on the edge of the bed.

He was disappointed. He hadn't got to propose the way he had wanted too but he would try again. He smiled slightly in hope. He just needed a new idea.

Tony hummed in the back of his throat as he felt Pepper run her hands up his back and settle on his shoulders and started to massage them. He rolled his head back onto her chest and she leaned down to kiss him.

Proposal ideas can come later because right now he had other important things on his mind.

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**Yeah Stan Lee, Mr Fantastic and The Invisible Woman were at the party. ;)**

**Don't forget to leave a review. I love them.**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I shall update as soon as I can.**

**Reeves3.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Marvel or Iron Man.**

**Author's Note: Huzzar! I've updated. Thank you to Arrows The Wolf, Abbey lee, Iron man fan2626, fantasia-49, BlueViking77, namaster, LouBlue and xXBrittanyXx for the reviews on the last chapter.**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter and don't forget to leave a review at the end.**

**Happy reading,**

**Reeves3.**

* * *

**Chapter Four**

"Oi Thunderbolt, if you're going to be living here when you're not in Neverland-,"

"Asgard," corrected Thor, his deep voice a threatening rumble.

"Gesundheit," said Tony. He continued to speak as though Thor hadn't interrupted him. "-then you need to stop breaking everything!"

It was the Tuesday morning after the charity ball where Thor had dropped by unexpectedly to announce there was a danger approaching. To whom it was coming to get or what said danger was Thor didn't know and couldn't give his Midgardian friends any more information. Natasha, Clint and Bruce had found this news a little unsettling but Tony wasn't too bothered – the trouble wasn't here yet and they would all face it together when it did show its ugly face – but right now he had more important things on his mind.

So far this morning Thor had managed to bend the refrigerator, crack the breakfast table, pull the faucet off the sink and he finished the box of Honey Nut Loops which wasn't really a big issue for everyone else but they were Tony's favourite cereal so he was annoyed about it.

"It is not my fault all your apparatus is so fragile," argued Thor. Tony glanced into the kitchen from their view in the living area and saw the broken pieces of table, the fridge bent in a perfect 90 degree angle and the fountain of water spraying from the gaping hole in the sink.

"Why couldn't you have had toast instead of my cereal?" Tony whined.

"Maybe Thor thought cereal would be easier to make. It creates less mess to clear up in the sink," said Clint smirking, from above. Tony glared up at him as the master archer leaned against the banister.

"Haven't you got a job to get to?"

Before Barton could reply JARVIS interrupted them. "Sir the contractor and a plumber are waiting for entrance into the Headquarters. They need a member's hand scan to open the door."

"I'll go," said Clint, he gave Tony a cool look. "I have a job to get too after all."

Clint took his leave and Thor sat down on the settee.

"I am deeply sorry for the disarray I have caused this beautiful dawn Man of Iron. I will be more careful," he said.

Tony sighed. "Its fine Thor, you didn't break anything that can't be fixed and we can always buy more Honey Nut Loops."

Thor nodded in acceptance. The door opened and two workers entered the room and Tony pointed them to the direction of the kitchen. He then picked up the nearby TV remote on the coffee table.

"Here, watch some TV," said Tony. He tossed the remote at the empty space next to Thor on the settee so the god could pick it up himself. JARVIS displayed the TV screen against the window and Thor picked up the remote and looked back and forth at it to the screen.

"I use this to -," he asked, slowly, not sure how to finish his question.

"You change the channel with it, lower and raise the volume, add subtitles, change the language...," said Tony. "Think you can handle it without breaking anything?"

Thor gave a confident nod and Tony smiled and pushed himself away from the settee. In a mirror's reflection he saw Thor lift the remote in the air.

"CHANGE THE CHANNEL!" The god of thunder roared at the remote before hurling it at the window. Luckily all the windows in the Avengers Headquarters were virtually indestructible so it was only the TV remote that shattered into a million pieces.

Tony just stood there biting his lip to fight the urge to shout. Instead he took a deep breath and carried on walking to his bedroom. Pepper sat in front of the chest of drawers, wrapped in a dressing gown, straightening her hair when Tony entered the room and crumpled up on the bed, grabbed a pillow and started to punch it.

"I take it Thor is still breaking things?" Pepper asked. The corners of her lips were slightly upturned as she watched Tony have a childish tantrum.

"I swear he's doing it on purpose," said Tony, rolling onto his back and staring up at the ceiling.

"No he isn't. He just doesn't know his own strength while he's here."

"Sure he doesn't," Tony muttered under his breath. He idly watched Pepper finish off straightening her hair before he asked. "What's on the to-do-list today?"

"I need to ring the airport so the Stark Jet will be ready for takeoff by lunchtime," said Pepper. She stood up and went over to the wardrobe and picked out her outfit for the day.

Tony's eyebrows knitted together. "What's the point?"

"I need to get back to work at Stark Industries, you know, that company you own and I run?" said Pepper. Tony rolled off the bed and went over to his bedside table draw where he pulled out the envelope he had brought last night at the charity auction. He waved it in front of Pepper.

"I think you're forgetting Miss Potts that in four days time we'll be spending the weekend at Canyon Ranch?" Tony said, grinning, mostly because of all the possibilities that weekend would bring.

"I remembered Tony but I have work to do and meetings to attend in LA first," said Pepper.

"But you can't go," said Tony. He had wanted to try and propose again sometime this week and if Pepper went back home that'd be a pretty hard thing to do, he decided.

"And why not?" asked Pepper. Her eyes gave him a warning look so Tony knew he was stepping into hot water here. He strummed his fingers on the envelope as he contemplated what he should say and decided to play it safe.

"What I mean is you can do that here, we have video links. There's no point going back just for a few days," said Tony. He tossed the envelope aside and stepped closer to Pepper where he undid the belt on the dressing gown. Pepper closed her eyes, smiling, and placed her hands on Tony's shoulders as he parted the front so his hands could rest on her bare hips while gently leaning across to press his forehead against hers.

"Tony..." she started.

"Pepper..." he said.

"Tony I really have to go..."

"No you don't," he said. Pepper sighed dramatically.

"Fine," she breathed. "But if I don't go, you'll have to instead." Pepper knew she had won him over then when she saw Tony's eyes show that fleeting second of horror at having to attend stuffy board room meetings when he could be playing with his gadgets here.

"Okay if you really have to go, you can," said Tony, pretending to cave in on their argument. Pepper smiled at him.

"I knew you'd see it my way," she said, leaning in and pressing her lips against his effectively silencing off his chuckle.

And so at quarter past two in the afternoon Tony arrived back at Stark Tower alone after having dropped Pepper off at the airport. Tony rode up in the elevator with the soft jazz music playing in the background and a newspaper spread out in front of him. His ears and eyes weren't concentrating on any of those two things because his mind was reeling as he thought about how to propose to Pepper.

He wasn't used to thinking about other people. Ever since he hired Pepper as his personal assistant fourteen years ago, he had forgotten every single one of her birthdays, he never remembered their anniversary of working together and he hardly ever did anything for her benefit. That had all changed when Yinsen had sacrificed himself for Tony to escape the cave in Afghanistan. The anniversaries of the past didn't seem to matter in Tony's mind anymore, all that did, was the little moments he had shared with Pepper, that he knew he would one day look back in his old age and think '_those were the greatest memories_.'

When they became a couple, a year ago, he focused more on doing things for Pepper but old habits die hard and last night he realised was one of them. He hadn't planned the best proposal for her. It suited him more, being in public, mingling the best and brightest, fine dining and champagne. It was too much of a business scene for Pepper and he wanted something more close to her personal taste.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open bringing Tony out of his reverie.

"Good afternoon sir," said JARVIS, after Tony had scanned his hand.

"Afternoon JARVIS," Tony replied, pushing open the door. The plumber and contractor had gone now and the kitchen had been restored. Thor was still sitting on the settee and watching reruns of Friends as Tony passed him by heading upstairs to the war room where Bruce was busy working.

The doctor glanced over his glasses when Tony sighed and slumped into his chair.

"I take it Pepper has gone back to Malibu?" Bruce asked. Tony just nodded slowly.

"You miss her already?" Bruce questioned slightly ludicrously. He knew Tony wasn't going to give him a straight answer but he couldn't help but ask. Just like he thought Tony didn't nod his head this time just shrugged his shoulders slightly with a small smile on his face and Bruce got his answer.

"And I take it last night you didn't propose?" Tony shook his head and Bruce rolled his eyes. "Are you going to give me actual words or did you lose your voice on the way back from the airport?"

"No I didn't propose," said Tony, sadly. "I was about to when Lord of the Storms showed up."

"Bet that annoyed you."

"At first it did but I've realised something. I don't think I had planned the best proposal for Pep. I think I want to try something simple."

"Like what?" Bruce asked, fearing the potential. With Tony, nothing was ever simple.

"I haven't thought about it yet, give me a few minutes and I'll think of something great." Tony turned around in his chair and brought up a screen on his desk where he started to write down ideas with a stylus. Bruce shook his head and carried on with his research.

However throughout the day Bruce would get interrupted every half an hour or so by Tony either idly spinning in his chair, tapping his stylus on his chin, growling in annoyance or sighing before he scrapped the idea he had been working on and began all over again. At half seven in the evening Bruce and Tony both heard Natasha and Clint come back from S.H.I.E.L.D announcing they had pizza with them.

"Good, I'm starved. Are you coming down Tony?" Bruce asked, walking towards the stairs.

"In a minute," Tony muttered, in a zombie like state, his eyes never leaving his screen.

"Everything alright?" Bruce asked, cautiously.

"Fine, fine," Tony muttered. "Save me some pizza, yeah?"

"Sure," said Bruce.

Tony didn't go down for any dinner, he continued to plan and then wipe clean the ideas because they weren't good enough, and it was five hours later until he realised that everyone had gone to bed. He shut down the holograms in the war room and in the darkness he went down two levels into the lounge. He went over to the kitchen and found four slices of cold pizza on the side still in the pizza box and popped the end of one in his mouth.

After devouring the slices of pizza Tony went to his bedroom and got ready for bed, all the while thinking of ideas but still nothing good came to mind. He took out his phone from his pocket and saw he had two missed calls from Pepper and a message that read...

'**You must be busy working to answer my calls. JARVIS has informed me you're alright. I called to say goodnight and see you on Friday. Love Pep. Xxx.'**

Tony smiled and put his phone on the bedside table before getting into bed.

"What is Pepper doing JARVIS?" he asked, sleepily.

"She is currently asleep on your side of the bed sir. Do you want me to wake her?" the A.I asked politely.

"No, that's all I wanted to know," replied Tony, his head rested on Pepper's pillow as he closed his eyes and quickly fell asleep.

Wednesday and Thursday passed by in a blur for Tony. It was the same routine each day. Wake up, have breakfast, yell at Thor if he broke something, shower, get changed, plan a proposal perfect for Pepper, eat something and then sleep.

However on Friday morning and Pepper was due back at in an hour Tony still hadn't thought of a way to propose. He was hunched over his desk writing like a maniac on the screen and was muttering to himself. Bruce kept picking up snippets of Tony's murmuring.

"-elephant takes us to the beach and we go scuba diving-,"

Bruce finally, after hearing enough extravagant and insane ideas, stood up and lifted Tony out of his chair and looked at him dead in the eyes.

"You're over thinking this way too much! Why don't you go have a picnic in Central Park with her?" he suggested. Tony stared at him for a few seconds without blinking and Bruce started to fear all these ideas had caused him to go mad until Tony snapped out of it and grinned.

"A picnic, yeah, I like it but what food should I take? Should I pick up some shawarma?" Bruce rolled his eyes.

"No, just no. There's a hamper in the kitchen fill it with everything Pepper likes,"

Tony nodded his head. "Alright let's just go down to the kitchen and see what we've got."

The two headed downstairs and passed by Thor who was still watching Friends. Tony hurriedly went to the bedroom and got the ring down from the top of the wardrobe before running back into the kitchen. Bruce got out the hamper and a blanket as Tony started to pile in food for instance sandwiches, cheese, potato salad, mini sausage rolls, two blueberry muffins and homemade lemonade.

"Do you think this will be enough or should I get some shawarma?"

"No! Enough with the shawarma! Now go pick up Pepper and good luck," said Bruce, pushing Tony out the room and towards the doors that led to the elevator. As they passed Thor he cheered at the TV and fist pumped into the air.

"He's her lobster," the god said, smiling happily. Tony and Bruce shared a bewildered look before Tony carried on alone towards the elevator with the picnic basket in his hand.

When he reached the ground floor he walked outside and found his car and placed the basket in the boot. After quick twenty minute drive with the top down so he could enjoy the cool wind against the boiling heat from the sun Tony arrived at LaGuardia Airport. He had just parked his car when the Stark Jet stopped in front of him at the aircraft stand. After quickly checking his appearance in the wing mirror, he leaned casually against the side of the car as Pepper stepped out the plane and down the steps. Her eyes were glued to her Blackberry so Tony had to press his car horn to get her to notice him and when she did, a wide smile spread across her face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, pleasantly surprised, walking towards him.

"Can't a boyfriend pick up his girlfriend at the airport anymore?" Tony asked, reaching for her out stretched hand and pulling her in for a small kiss.

"Of course, you can, I was just wasn't expecting to see you here. It's nice," said Pepper. Tony smiled and opened the car door for her and she slid in. He then turned to one of his hired staff who worked on the jet.

"Have Miss Pott's luggage delivered to Stark Tower please," said Tony.

The staff member gave a nod. "Right away sir."

Tony could feel Pepper's eyes on him as he walked around the front of the car and into the driver's seat.

"What are you up to?" she asked, giving him a sideways glance. Tony grinned and started to drive them out the airport.

"I'm taking you on a picnic," said Tony. Pepper's eyebrows rose in surprise, her hair was billowing around her face from the wind so she did her best to stop it from getting tangled.

"Really?" she asked.

"You are finding it hard to believe?" Tony asked.

"A little bit," Pepper admitted but still she smiled and Tony laughed. Eventually they reached Central Park and as busy as it was only a few people gave Tony and Pepper a second glance. After all why would the CEO and COO of Stark Industries be wondering around Central Park on Friday lunchtime? After strolling hand-in-hand to the centre of the park the pair found a nice area under the shade of a blossom tree. They laid out the blanket and sat down next to each other with the hamper full of food by their knees.

Tony could feel the ring burning a hole in his jacket pocket, all he wanted was for the ring to be on Pepper's finger and he got an idea as Pepper handed him the two glasses and the lemonade he had brought along. While Pepper was setting out the food, Tony turned to his side slightly and put a hand in his pocket ready to put the ring in Pepper's drink.

"Oh my god," exclaimed Pepper.

"What?" Tony asked, his hand darting out of his pocket as though he had been electrocuted.

"Steve?" The billionaire frowned at her.

"I'm Tony," he reminded. Pepper rolled her eyes at Tony and pointed behind him where Captain America was walking towards them. Tony turned his head and his jaw went slack. _'I just can't catch a break. First Thor now Capsicle,'_ he thought.

"Hey guys," Steve greeted. Pepper got up and the two greeted each other with a kiss on the cheek as Tony poured himself a glass of lemonade and drained it in one wishing it was something alcoholic.

"Hello Rogers," he muttered. "What are you doing here?"

"I've finished my tour and thought I would take a stroll around Central Park before heading-."

"No, I mean, why are you here? Why now? On this day? At this moment in time?" asked Tony complaining, his eyes glaring daggers at Steve.

"Tony, don't be rude," Pepper hissed.

"I can't help coincidence Stark but if it'll make you feel better, I'll go,"

Pepper looked at him preposterously. "Steve, don't be silly, we haven't seen you for nearly two months of course you can stay. Sit down, have a sandwich."

And so the ring was once more left hidden in Tony's pocket as Steve joined them for lunch, as they walked back to the car and on the ride back to Stark Tower. After JARVIS had scanned Steve's hand, Tony led Pepper inside leaving the Captain to bring up the rear.

"Congratulations!" Bruce cheered upon seeing Pepper and Tony walk into the room. Thor glanced around at the two of them and then Steve entered the room.

"What for?" asked Pepper, as Tony made frantic throat slicing actions to his neck out of her view. Bruce paled a bit.

"On...on the err success of rebuilding Stark Tower," Bruce finished, lamely. Pepper gave him an odd look but forgot about it when she went over to greet him and Thor like she had done with Steve. After Bruce had welcomed Steve back and chatted to him for a bit where he also learned the Captain had joined Pepper and Tony on their picnic, he made his way over to Tony.

"Bad luck, buddy," he said. Tony shrugged.

"Yeah well, what could I do about it?" Bruce nodded in understanding and Pepper approached them.

"Tony, have you packed your things? We're leaving tonight remember," said Pepper. Tony's face suddenly lit up like a child's on Christmas morning.

"I'll do it in a bit," he promised.

"Make sure you do," she said, giving him a lingering kiss on the cheek. She smiled at him and then went to go make herself a cup of tea.

"This is brilliant!" Tony cried, feeling giddy.

"What is?" asked Bruce.

"I completely forgot during all the planning this week. Pepper and I are away at the spa hotel this weekend. It's a perfect place to ask her. There will be no Avengers to interrupt me, no paperwork to sign, no calls to take and best off all no distractions."

* * *

**Not while I'm writing Stark. ;) **

**Stay tuned because in the next chapter, we find out who has been spying on him.**

**I shall update when I can. Once again, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and don't forget to review.**

**Reeves3.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise. **

**Author's Note: Hey everyone, first of all thanks to StarkObsessed, BlueViking77, Arrows the Wolf, LouBlue, DoctorLia, xXBrittanyXx, faith123, fantasia-49, XBlueXCandyX, ConnorVolturi, Robin'sGirlStar12, Aneeta Potter and the two anon Guests for reviewing on the last chapter.  
**

**There is so much Pepperony in this chapter, you'll love me for it.  
**

**Okay about Canyon Ranch on this chapter. It is a real place but from the moment they arrive at the hotel, it's all fictional. I have never been there before, I don't know what the hotel is like, I don't know how they plan their activities and such, just so's you know. :P  
**

**Now that I have that out the way, I have nothing else to say - hey that rhymed.  
**

**Happy reading,  
**

**Reeves3.  
**

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**Chapter Five**

"Are you sure you want to drive to the hotel?" Pepper asked for the umpteenth time. "I can call and have the jet ready in ten minutes."

"And I could fly us both over and the luggage in my suit in five minutes but I want to drive. It's what normal people do," counteracted Tony.

"Since when have you ever done anything the normal way?" Pepper asked, raising a slim ginger brow while giving him that look.

"I do normal things... in just an extreme way," said Tony. The moment he finished speaking he turned the key in the ignition and the powerful engine inside the Acura NSX roared to life outside Stark Tower. People on the pavements stopped and followed the car as it sped down the street making such a noise it made the pigeons take off into the sky. The top was up so Pepper didn't have to worry about her hair turning into a bird's nest by the wind. However even if the top was down, her hair getting in a mess wouldn't have been a problem because of the speed they were going at because as soon as Tony had rounded the corner into the next block, they were stuck in the afternoon traffic. Pepper leaned forward and put on the radio.

"Oh yes, this is normal." It was Tony's turn to give her the look. He prodded a finger in her side where she was ticklish making Pepper squirm and laugh.

The beginning of the journey was slow but once they got out of New York City Tony caught up the miles on the long stretched out roads that led to Lenox, Massachusetts.

"Oh I packed the Mark V by the way," said Pepper, her eyes focused on the sunset in the west.

"You did?" Tony asked, surprised. "Why'd you bring that for?"

Pepper turned her head away from the window. "Because Thor said there was danger approaching. I felt we should have something there to protect us if something happens as you didn't want any bodyguards."

"You've got me," said Tony, meeting her eyes in a brief glance.

"Hence the suit," replied Pepper.

"You know what I mean," said Tony. He stayed quiet for a few minutes and Pepper went back to looking out the window at the pink tinge just above where the sun had now set in the darkening blue sky. "Even without the suit, I'm there for you if something bad happens," he finished.

Pepper felt her eyes gloss over and she smiled happily. Tony felt his own smile appearing when he Pepper reach over and entwined her fingers through his. His right hand stayed on the wheel.

"I know," she said, softly.

The total journey took two and a half hours to reach the hotel. The time on the dashboard read quarter past seven as Tony pulled into the car park. The headlights showed posh cars already in between a number of white lines as Tony parked his car away from them but a near enough distance to the entrance. Two hotel porters approached the car as Tony and Pepper got out and stretched their legs.

"Good evening madam and sir...good god you're Tony Stark!" one of them said in excitement. Tony smirked and went over to shake hands with the young guy, appearing in his early twenties, who had now started chatting adamantly away.

"-awesome, I've seen you on the news and business channels. It is such an honour to meet you; you're a hero in our family. I can't believe I'm meeting you and I never thought I would meet you here. Oh my name's Darren-,"

The second porter remained stony faced and as stiff as a board throughout all of this.

"Forgive my colleague here, he is new to the job and is supposed to remember we have a level of professionalism," he said, in a bored tone. Darren immediately shut up and took a step back from Tony.

"It's alright, I'm used to being adored," said Tony. Pepper rolled her eyes and opened the boot. The porters loaded their bags onto a cart before heading into the hotel with Tony and Pepper following them. They entered the atrium which was wide and spacious. Wooden beams arched across the ceiling and to their right was the welcome desk. Up ahead in front of them was a grand staircase that led to the second floor landing. The place was lit in a warm light and to the left was a glass wall that showed inside the lounge area where a man sat at a piano playing soft melodic tunes.

Tony and Pepper approached the reception desk where standing behind it was a heart-shape faced female with a cheery smile and a name badge on her chest that read Evelyn.

"Hi there, welcome to Canyon Ranch," she greeted.

"Hi," said Pepper. She reached into her handbag and pulled out the envelope containing the booking details and passed it over to Evelyn. "We have reservations for the weekend."

The receptionist beamed upon seeing the in-date arrangements and turned to her computer and started typing away. She clicked with her mouse and the printer next to her kicked into gear.

"Everything is in order. You'll be in suite 50, our most luxurious room. If you are hungry, you're welcome to go to the restaurant. Dinner just started and some guests haven't come down yet," said Evelyn.

"Oh no thanks, we stopped at McDonalds on the way," said Tony. He grinned and Evelyn's cheeks turned pink.

"Good choice sir. I'll just go get your key and Coltrane will take your belongings up." She disappeared into the room behind the desk and Coltrane took their luggage to the service elevator. Evelyn came out back out the door a few seconds later with their card key. She stopped at the printer and picked up the two pieces of paper then handed them over to Pepper. "These are the week's schedule. Feel free to join in any of the activates or if not, enjoy the nature walks, golf course, swimming pools, tennis courts and gym at your leisure. Thank you for choosing to stay at Canyon Ranch."

"Thank you," Tony and Pepper replied. Together the two of them made their way towards the stairs. Darren glanced at Evelyn who now appeared to be in a state of wonder. She caught his gaze and mouthed 'that was Tony Stark' while pointing to the retreating Pepper and Tony.

"I shook his hand!" Darren mouthed back at her, grinning.

Their room was located on the fourth floor where the only three luxury suites were built. Upon opening the door they entered into a little entryway where they found their luggage and a place where they could hang up their coats and jackets on the wall. They passed through the archway and found themselves in an open living room with a small kitchen to their right with a small bar and stools, a mini refrigerator and a built-in washer and dryer. There was a large window and a door towards the end of the room, near a flat screen TV, coffee table and settee, which led outside onto a small balcony.

Tony brought the suitcases through and turned to his left where a small corridor led him straight to the master bedroom and en-suite bathroom. Everything in the room was neat and clean. The pair spent the rest of the evening unpacking and then crashed out on the settee to watch a film before wondering hands and teasing kisses led them into the bedroom.

Saturday morning dawned bright and full of warmth. Tony cracked open his eyes slightly, groaned and turned over on his side making Pepper shuffle in her sleep and roll over to face him. Tony gave a lopsided smile at Pepper's peaceful face and decided to change that by lightly brushing a finger down the bridge of her nose.

"Stop that," Pepper moaned sleepily, scrunching up her face. Tony wrapped his arms around her and brought her close to him and Pepper contently sighed.

"Breakfast in bed?" asked Tony. He watched Pepper's lips turn up.

"Sounds wonderful," she replied. Tony reached over her and grabbed the phone by the bed and punched in a number for the reception then put the receiver next to his ear to hear it ringing through. Twenty minutes later a knock sounded out by the front door and Tony got out of bed, wrapped a dressing gown over his nude body and went to answer the door. He came back a couple of minutes later with the pushcart loaded with food, that smelled fantastic it caused their stomachs to rumble, to find Pepper sitting up in bed waiting for him.

After eating the pair got ready for the day. They decided to join in on the group nature hike and were each handed a pack filled with snacks and a bottle of water. They strolled along at the back of the group keeping to themselves as they walked through the woods, hand in hand.

"I really appreciate you doing this. I know it isn't your usual way of spending the weekend," said Pepper.

Tony shrugged his shoulders. "I get to spend it with you and besides Stark Tower and our house could do with a weekend without being destroyed."

Pepper laughed and moved closer to let Tony plant a kiss on the top of her head. They walked till eleven in the afternoon where they stopped for lunch and enjoyed the views from the top of the giant hill they had climbed. Eventually the group trudged the few miles back down to the hotel.

"I could do with having a dip in the pool after this," said Tony, his body sweaty from the heat.

"Then a massage," said Pepper, longingly.

Once they arrived back to the hotel they booked in a massage at the desk and then went up to their room and picked out some swimwear and found one of the pools free for swimming in, that was completely empty, as the other four were in use for classes. They quickly got changed in the changing rooms and when Pepper came back out to the pool Tony was already swimming in it. He made his way over to the edge where Pepper was standing and rested his arms on the side of the pool, over her feet, and happily looked up at her.

"Aren't you coming in?" he asked with a sly smile on his face.

"Don't even think about it Tony," warned Pepper.

Tony snorted. "It's a bit too late for that."

He jumped up reaching for her waist but managed to grab her hand instead just as she was moving away and pulled Pepper into the pool with him. Her scream and his laugh were cut short by the pair of them submerging underwater with a splash. They broke the surface a few seconds later and Tony had a wide grin on his face as he laughed. Pepper pursed her lips.

"I'm glad you find that so amusing because you'll find this hilarious," she said, before grabbing onto his shoulders and dunking him under. Tony tickled her sides and Pepper's laugh echoed about the pool and she started to swim away from Tony.

"You're getting it now Potts!" Tony warned, playfully, as he hopped through the water chasing after Pepper.

She gave him a dazzling smile. "That's if you can get it."

They spent nearly an hour chasing each other around the pool with other guests coming in at random times to either have a swim or head into the sauna at the far end of the pool next to the showers. As it was coming nearer to their allotted time for a massage Tony and Pepper got out the pool and showered down to rinse off the chlorine.

Pepper stepped out the shower with only a towel covering her body and saw Tony waiting for her by the sauna room wearing a fluffy white towel wrapped around his waist. He opened the door for her and Pepper was surprised to see, through the faint steam, that it was empty. She could have sworn she saw about five people enter here not ten minutes ago.

"What happened to everyone?" she asked.

"I told them all to go," said Tony. He went over to the coals and poured some water over them and a hiss of steam clouded the room.

"How did you get them all to leave?" Pepper dared ask.

"I paid them," said Tony simply. Even through the steam he could see Pepper roll her eyes. But he gave her one of his loveable smiles that he knew she found hard to ignore. In the end Pepper caved and went over and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"You're impossible," she told him. The pair gazed deeply into each other's eyes.

"But you love me for it."

"Sometimes I wonder why."

"Guess I'll just have to show you," Tony murmured huskily. He closed the gap between them and Pepper let out a moan into his mouth that urged him to bring their bodies closer together with only the towels separating them. Pepper's hands tangled in Tony's hair, her nails scraping his scalp that sent shivers down his body in the midst of the pleasant steam surrounding them.

After a series of heavy make out sessions in the steam room Tony and Pepper headed for their massage in their allotted time slot. They we given a room together and they laid on their chests on the table and let the masseuses do their work for an hour. Pepper was sure she dozed off slightly in the state of bliss she was in but Tony was struggling to get comfortable, first his arc reactor kept pressing into his torso and he didn't really like it when strangers were rubbing him down unless it was Pepper.

He felt the same way the next day when he was getting another massage while Pepper had a facial, pedicure and a body wrap, after a morning and afternoon full of playing tennis, a session of yoga, working out in the gym and lengths in the pool.

In the evening Tony found himself in the living area of their suite practising how to ask Pepper to marry him. Pepper was in the bathroom getting ready to go down for dinner. Tony was still inclined for a private proposal and not in front of a load of people so doing it during dinner in the restaurant was out of the question. He could do it in the suite but it didn't seem romantic enough.

He bit his lip as inspiration hit and then went over to the phone and called down to the reception.

"Hi, this is Tony Stark in suite 50-,"

"Hello Mr Stark, what can I do for you?" Evelyn asked.

"I need someone to decorate this suite just after I come out of dinner with Miss Potts. I want a bottle of champagne, rose petals, flowers all over the place, candles and romantic music. Is that possible?" he asked. Evelyn paused down the end of the line as she thought about it.

"Umm of course, I'll get someone on it right away," she promised.

"Thank you," said Tony before hanging up. Pepper appeared in the hallway putting in her earrings.

"Who were you ringing?" she asked, inquisitively.

"Oh I ordered a bottle of champagne for tonight," said Tony. He smiled as he glanced up and down at Pepper. "You look gorgeous."

"Thank you. Are you ready to go down for dinner?" she asked, picking up her bag and heading for the door.

"Aren't you going to compliment me on my attire?" Tony asked, teasingly as he followed her out the suite.

"I was going to but then I thought your ego might explode," said Pepper, giggling.

"Oh ha-ha," said Tony, closing the door behind him with a soft click.

In the restaurant they ate a filling three course meals that left their stomachs satisfied for the night. After they finished their Crème brûlée Tony and Pepper exited the restaurant and sat down in the lounge area next to the piano player. Just before he took his seat Tony made eye contact with Evelyn at the desk and she nodded her head and signalled Darren to take Mr Stark's requirements up to their suite. Tony made sure Pepper sat with her back to the reception so she didn't see Darren struggling to carry arms full of different types of flowers or the boxes of candles that was towering over his head.

"Do you want a drink from the bar?" Tony asked relaxing his grip from the arm rests of the chair after he had finished watching Darren manage not to crash the several candelabra he was juggling to the floor.

"Sure, I'll have a dry martini with-,"

"-lots of olives. Like, at least three olives?" Pepper stared at him stunned and amused that he had remembered that moment between them after all this time.

She nodded her head. "Please."

Tony got Pepper's drink and a scotch for himself and returned to his seat where the two sat, drank and talked for twenty minutes until Tony spotted Darren by the reception desk giving him two thumbs up. Tony smiled and put down his empty glass. He quickly patted the front of his jacket where the ring was hidden to double-check it was still there and then leaned over to whisper in Pepper's ear.

"How'd you feel if we go somewhere more private?" He gave her his best suggestive grin and his brown eyes hinted mischief. Pepper felt her face flush and she was sure Tony could feel the heat coming from her cheeks in their proximity.

"Is this how you charm all the women?" Pepper asked, coyly. Her eyes were twinkling too.

"Just the one I love."

In a record of a minute Tony and Pepper were standing outside suite number 50. They kept their eyes on each other as Tony opened the door to reveal...the same looking room they had left before going down to dinner. There were no bouquets of flowers, no trail of rose petals on the floor, no candlelight or soft music playing. Tony stopped dead at the entrance, his face falling, just looking around and Pepper noticed his sudden expression change.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Are we in the right room?" he asked. Pepper gave him an odd look.

"Yes," she answered, slowly, wondering why Tony was frozen by the door.

"This is not our room," said Tony, shaking his head. They must have made a wrong turn at the elevator.

"Tony all our stuff is in this room and the number on the door says 50," Pepper pointed out.

"B-b-but..."

"Is everything alright?" Pepper asked gently, starting to get a little concerned. Tony frowned. He couldn't give anything away to her but what could he say?

"Umm...err t-the champagne...there's no champagne, I'll go get it." Darren then appeared at the open doorway holding a bottle of bubbly. "Never minds it's here," finished Tony. He grinned sheepishly at Pepper who was frowning slightly.

"I'm going to go get changed," she said. Tony nodded and watched her retreating form go until he heard the bedroom door close. Tony turned around in a flash and confronted Darren out in the hallway.

"I forgot your champagne sir," said Darren.

"What the hell happened to all the candles and flowers?" Tony asked, extremely vexed. "I saw you bring it all up! The staff members are the only ones who can get in and out of this room, so where has it all gone?" He let Darren into the room and he looked just as confused as Tony was.

"That's weird. I swear I brought it all into this room and it was here five minutes ago, I promise. I'll go and ask around and see if any of the staff came in but it's highly unlikely. I'm so sorry about this Mr Stark. Do you want me to go get more?"

Tony sighed.

"Nah forget it the moment of surprise has gone now, thanks for the champagne," said Tony, forlornly. He took the bottle off Darren and closed the door behind him. Tony wandered round the room until he ended up out on the balcony looking at the night sky.

'_What is happening?' _he thought. _'Every time I try to plan the perfect proposal, something always goes wrong. Maybe it's a sign Pep and I shouldn't be together. No, that's crazy. It's all been bad luck.'_

As he was about to turn and go inside Tony spotted something small rolling around on the floor with the wind. He stopped it with his shoe and bent down and picked up a rose petal. His mind was suddenly struck with a single rash insane though.

'_Bad luck, my ass, someone's sabotaging my proposals!'_ He leaned over the balcony and searched the grounds and looked up at the roof but didn't see signs of anybody. _'Why would someone do this?'_

He went inside and closed the balcony door trying to think of a logical explanation why someone would do this. The only people he had told were Rhodey and Bruce but he couldn't see any reason they would want to stop him from proposing, seeing as though both had supported him.

Tony took the foil off the bottle of champagne and started to twist out the cork. He struggled with it as he struggled to think of who would intrude on his and Pepper's weekend.

"Tony," Pepper's alluring voice called to him from across the room. He looked up and saw Pepper resting against the wall wearing black satin lingerie. All comprehensive thoughts vanished from Tony's mind in a second. His jaw dropped and the champagne cork flew out and across the room with a 'BANG' with an overflow of froth spraying out after it.

"Oh...wow," was all Tony's mind could get his mouth to say. Pepper smiled and sauntered over to him.

"I brought it while I was in Malibu. I thought I'd bring it along for the trip."

"Hmmm?" said Tony, having not paid a single attention to what she had said. Pepper slid off his jacket and grabbed hold of his tie and used it to pull him to the bedroom. Tony smirked and happily let himself be led. The ring, once more, rested forgotten in the pocket of the jacket which was now strewn over the settee.

Meanwhile up on the roof a head peeked down over the edge of the building at the balcony Tony had stood on. The woman, in a black leather one suit, put a hand up to her ear and turned on her ear piece.

"I've stopped it," she said, confidently.

"Good," Nick Fury replied.

"But it's only for now Fury, he'll try again," she said.

"I know, but when he knows, we'll know, you know?"

"Honestly no. I'm just following your orders." Natasha switched off the communication there and lay down on her back surrounded by candles with burnt wicks, the CD with romantic songs on it and a pile of rose petals which had been a nightmare to pick each single one up in the room.

She sighed. "You're not making this easy Stark."

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**Well done to those who guessed it was S.H.I.E.L.D spying on him. But why? Wait for the updates and find out.**

**I'll give you a little tease for the next chapter. Hawkeye.  
**

**Thanks for reading, please leave a review and let me know what you thought.  
**

**Reeves3.  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.**

**Author's Note: Back off holiday now so here's an update! **

**Thank you to Robin'sGirlStar12, Arrows the Wolf, StarkObsessed, toole, Miel14, monalisamorocha, ConnorVolturi, BlueViking77, Sosie98, katarina97, XBlueXCandyX, Broken River, fantasia-49, LouBlue, Wonderwomanbatmanfan, sabaku no nathzu uchiha, MyHornyMan and the Guest for reviewing on the last chapter. It's very much appreciated and I'll hope you'll review again.  
**

**There's science-bros and bromance in this chapter. It is a long chapter but I don't think you readers will mind. :)  
**

**Happy reading,  
**

**Reeves3.  
**

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**Chapter Six**

Tony Stark was feeling very smug right now.

He was standing in the war room, hands clasped behind his back while looking down at the city through the glass windows with a large smirk on his face. If people were trying to stop his proposals then he'd like to see them stop this next attempt because not five minutes ago, he had just got off the phone with a sky writing company.

After arriving back from their weekend away yesterday morning Tony had spent most of last night thinking of a plan. He was going to give his adversary a challenge. If the skywriter failed to write the message 'WILL YOU MARRY ME?' in the sky then he was certain someone was purposely stopping him from asking Pepper the all important question. Thor and Captain America interrupting them still could have been a coincidence but he was highly suspicious that someone had emptied the room of the flowers and candles at the hotel. And if that someone made an appearance today...Tony was going to have a surprise for this foe.

He picked up the two iron bracelets off the surface of the desk next to him and attached them around his wrists.

"Stark, are you ready?" Steve's voice carried up the stairs.

"Always am," Tony replied, making his way to the floor below. Waiting by the door was Thor, Steve, Bruce and Pepper, the latter carried a clipboard and her phone in her hands, as Tony approached them.

"You know I really shouldn't be going to this," complained Bruce, feeling slightly on edge.

"Nonsense Bruce, you'll be fine," reassured Pepper, putting a comforting hand on his shoulder. The group walked into the corridor and towards the elevator.

"The Other Guy has never really done well in the public eye."

"You're not going to lose control and if you do Thor, Cap and I will beat the crap out of the Hulk," said Tony, confidently. He pushed the button for the ground floor and the elevator doors slid shut on them.

Bruce snorted. "Not before he beats it out of you."

"The Hulk helped save Midgard against the Chitauri army. Anyone who is against you will have The Avengers to answer too. You will be fine Bruce Banner," said Thor. Bruce smiled faintly but his stomach did somersaults.

Outside the tower were four sleek and shiny black cars waiting for their passengers. Everyone got into a separate car except Pepper who joined Tony. In the car Pepper made several calls to various people while scratching off and writing down notes on the piece of paper attached to the clipboard. Tony had lost count of how many times finance rang from the Stark Industries branch in Dallas when the cars pulled to a stop at Washington Square Park.

There was barely an inch of space left in the entire area as crowds in their hundreds gathered to celebrate for The Avengers. Music was booming across the land from the massive speakers set up on either side of the stage in front of the Washington Arch. The cars parked just behind the arch and the crowd's cheers went wild. Tony, Pepper, Bruce, Steve and Thor all got out and hid themselves backstage where the crew members were busying about.

"Tony, I'm going to go join the crowd. Good luck out there and please don't announce anything that's meant to be kept secret," begged Pepper, giving the billionaire a kiss on the cheek.

"When have I ever done that?" Tony asked, giving Pepper a wink. She just rolled her eyes, wished the others luck and walked away from the men.

From their position in the wings the four of them had a small view of the horde they were about to face. Children wore Hulk masks and giant green arms, threw around plastic replica's of Thor's hammer, protected themselves with shields like Captain America's and others wore Iron Man masks. Balloons bobbed up and down in the air and the smell of cooking sausages and burgers filled their nostrils.

"Tis' a joyous celebration," admired Thor, happily.

"Of course it is," said Tony. "They all know I'm here."

"Does that man have our logo tattooed on his stomach?" Steve asked, torn between disgust and amusement.

"I should ask Pepper to get one those and I know just where," said Tony, gleaming with hope. Bruce turned to look at him with a peculiar expression.

"Do you really want your girlfriend to have the words Avengers Assemble written on her behind?" he asked. Tony eyebrows slouched in a frown.

"Then maybe just Iron Man assemble?" he suggested. Bruce rolled his eyes and looked back out at the crowd where his attention was caught by a woman. He immediately ducked out of sight but then he remembered she couldn't see him. The guys shared a look and then watched Bruce with concerned observation.

"What's the problem Bruce?" Steve asked, kindly.

"Nothing," Bruce muttered, staring at the woman with long brunette hair, pale complexion, sweet lips and sparking blue eyes. Thor, Tony and Steve all followed his gaze.

"Who is the maiden that has you so captivated?" Thor asked. Bruce let out a sigh.

"Her name is Elizabeth Ross, she is-was my girlfriend...before the other guy showed up. I haven't seen her in months." He checked the monitor on his wrist for any change of his heart beat.

"Was that after Abomination was wrecking Harlem?" Tony asked.

"Correct."

"And you miss her?" Steve asked.

"Terribly," answered Bruce. Thor put a strong hand on Bruce's shoulder.

"I'm familiar with the feeling. Oh how I long to see Jane once more."

"Okay you guys realise we're in the middle of a celebration? Bruce, she is right there. Go over there and talk to her!" Tony cried, pointing towards Betty with his hands.

Bruce shook his head. "I can't."

"Why? Did someone break your legs in the two minutes we were discussing her? Just walk over there, tell her how you feel and happily ever after, right?"

Tony watched as Bruce's expression turned hard and set with determination. The expert in gamma radiation stepped out a foot and then turned around and started to walk back to the cars.

"I'm going back to the tower," he growled. Tony chased after him.

"You can't leave, all these people are expecting to see you," he called. Bruce spun around and glared at Tony who skidded to a halt in front of him.

"They're here for the Hulk, not me," Banner shouted.

"I bet Betty's here for you," Tony replied. A series of beeps came from the heart monitor and Tony had a fleeting worry that Bruce was going to thump him one by the furious expression on his face. However Bruce turned on the spot once more and started to walk away, ignoring the car for him and stormed up the street.

Tony stepped forward, ready to bring his idiot of a friend back when Steve grabbed hold of his arm.

"Let him go, Tony. He needs to cool off," the Captain said. Tony stared at the back of the retreating form of Bruce and felt a small gnawing in the pit of his stomach which he choose to believe were butterflies...even though he hardly got nervous in his life.

A voice echoed out the speakers and across the crowd. "Are you ready for The Avengers?" The cheers reached the top of the Empire State Building as Thor, Tony and Steve hurried back to the wings and walked onto the stage. Tony picked up a microphone and waved to the swarm of fans.

"Good afternoon New York City!" He paused to let himself; Captain America and Thor enjoy the energy and excitement their admirers were giving them. Tony grinned and chuckled.

"As you can see we're a man down but the Hulk has...issues to deal with that couldn't be rearranged. So it looks like you're stuck with us...but I don't think you guys have a problem with that, do you?" Tony asked, begging for more applause. He got them and grinning madly he passed on the microphone to Steve. Tony looked back out at the multitude of individuals as Steve chatted to them all and he noticed that Miss Ross had gone.

A few miles away perched on a rooftop and crouched down like a bird surveying the view for threats was Hawkeye.

"You look ridiculous," Natasha told him in his ear piece.

"Caw-caw," he crowed, as a joke. "I'm just doing what a good assassin does. Keep an eye out for the target." He grabbed a bow from his quiver and took the cap off a felt-tip pen using his teeth; he spat the lid on the roof and scribbled a message on the shaft of the arrow.

"What are you doing?" Natasha asked.

Clint gave a half hearted smile. "I don't want him to think we're against his decisions. I'm just making sure Stark gets the right idea as to who is behind all this."

"Why do I get the feeling this won't end well?" Natasha asked rhetorically.

A couple of hours later and deep into the celebrations Tony found Pepper at the back of the crowd of people sitting in deck chairs in front of the bandstand.

"What happened to Bruce?" She asked, before he could say anything. Tony turned her around and shook his head as though he didn't have a clue.

"All I told him to do was go see that Betty girl he likes, tell her how he feels and grow old together," he said.

"You told Bruce, a man suffering with sever anger issues, to go and pursue a relationship that he knowingly stays away from because he's afraid of hurting her?" Pepper asked. Tony gave a nod.

"That sounds about right. I don't see what the problem is though."

Pepper opened her mouth to argue his point but something in the sky caught hers and many people in the city area attentions. Tony turned and looked and saw a small plane was starting to write the letter W with a trail of smoke. All around on the ground men, women and children were pointing up and chatting excitedly to one another as the words 'WILL YOU MARRY' was finished.

"That is so romantic," Pepper sighed, their conversation about Bruce in the back of their minds now. "I wonder who the lucky person is," she speculated.

Tony's opening line 'funny you should mention that' was on the tip of his tongue as he reached into his jacket pocket to pull out the ring when the skywriter caught his eye. A small black speck had flown up towards the plane and the smoke chain had been cut off just after the speck started to fly away. A disappointed groan was heard all around as the message had failed to complete but they suddenly turned into screams as the plane started to lose control and plunge to the ground

The iron bracelets sent out a signal to the Mark VII in Stark Tower as Tony kept his eyes on the falling plane. At the tower a red capsule shot up a shoot and burst out from the highest point on the tower spire. In less than five seconds it had assembled into half a suit and attached itself to Tony's back so the metal could move on its own and encase his body in his Iron Man suit.

With a burst of speed Iron Man took off towards the falling plane but he wasn't the only one. The black dot in the sky was making his way back too, upon seeing the plane fall.

As the two got closer to the plane JARVIS scanned the mysterious dot and informed Tony it was Hawkeye on his purple sky cycle.

"What the bloody hell does Barton think he's doing?" Tony yelled at his A.I.

"That question has many answers sir. Do you wish me to list them down or tell you them in a chronological order?" JARVIS asked.

Tony ignored that comment because he had just came into contact with the body of the plane making it come to a halt. Its engine's were still going and pushing against Iron Man but the pilot was sprawled out on the front of the controls seemingly unconscious. Clint pulled up on his sky cycle next to the man. Tony lifted up his helmet and the breeze made it difficult to breathe but he wanted Barton to know how angry he was.

"You killed him to stop my proposal?" he roared over the wind and engines. Clint was in the middle of inspecting the body then stopped and looked at Tony with a ludicrous expression.

"I may be an assassin Tony but I don't just kill people willy-nilly. This guy has had a heart-attack," Clint shouted. He brought his sky cycle closer and jumped onto the plane, Tony gripped it tighter and turned it slightly to keep it straight but as he did that, he noticed something sticking out from the plane.

It was an arrow that had been plunged into the exhaust pipe to cut off the smoke. Tony put his helmet back down and JARVIS scanned it. The arrow came up magnified on his screen and the word 'sorry' had been scribbled on the shaft. Tony looked back the archer who had securely strapped the pilot on the seat of the sky cycle and was now buckling himself in.

"Tell me what's going on!" Tony yelled. However over the whirr of the mini turbines that powered the sky cycle Clint didn't hear his question and took off to find the nearest hospital leaving Iron Man to handle the plane.

The civilians below applauded as Iron Man safely brought the plane to the ground at an airport but unlike earlier in the afternoon he wasn't interested in their cheers as his mind was too busy focusing on what Hawkeye's problem was.

'_If Hawkeye is sorry then why the hell is he destroying my attempt to ask Pepper to marry me?' _Tony thought, flying back towards Washington Square Park.

He landed next to Pepper, Thor and Captain America by the cars as security dealt with the thick crowds and getting them to move along and go about their business now that the celebration for the Avengers was over.

"Are you alright? What happened up there? What was the black dot in the sky next to the plane?" Pepper asked. Tony raised the front of his helmet and gave her a kiss on her temple.

"One question at a time Pep," said Tony. He scratched his cheek. "The black dot was Hawkeye on his sky cycle."

"What was he doing there?" Steve asked, confused. Tony didn't know but as usual Pepper had all the answers.

"He was doing his security rounds for S.H.I.E.L.D. Maria Hill messaged Stark Tower about it because while the Helicarrier is being repaired they needed a place to put Clint's sky cycles so the Avengers Headquarters seemed the best place."

'_Of course he was._' Tony thought sarcastically but he didn't voice his opinion. He finished telling them the rest of the story missing out the parts of the embedded arrow and his conversation with Hawkeye. When he finished speaking Pepper gave a sigh of relief.

"It was a good thing Hawkeye was there," she said.

"Indeed. Hawkeye may have well saved the man's life," said Thor.

"I guess we won't find out until we see him this evening," said Steve.

"No!" Tony shouted making the three of them jolt. "Let's go now. I need to speak with him."

"You need to apologise to Bruce too," Pepper reminded.

"Pepper...," Tony whined. She gave him a fixed look that was impossible to argue with. "Fine," Tony relented with a sigh. "I'll say sorry."

As Steve, Thor and Pepper travelled back to Stark Tower in the cars Tony said a quick goodbye to the fans and flew back. He landed on the outside platform and his suit was taken off him by the mechanism he had built. The doors opened up for him and he stepped inside the living room just as Pepper, Steve and Thor walked in from the door on the opposite side of the room.

"Beat you." Tony gave them a smirk.

"We weren't having a race," said Steve.

"I was," Tony replied.

All four of them searched the training area, living quarters, bedrooms and bathrooms, the war room and the launch pad on the roof for Bruce and Clint but they couldn't find them.

"Clint's probably still at the hospital with the man," reasoned Steve, as they all gathered back in the living room.

"Or hiding," Tony muttered under his breath. He suddenly realised something and wanted to smack himself in the forehead for not thinking of it sooner. "JARVIS?"

"Yes sir?" a cool reply asked.

"Has anyone entered The Avengers Headquarters while we've been out?" Tony asked. _'I've got you now Barton, you're hiding somewhere.'_

"No one has entered this part of the building since you, Miss Potts, Steve Rogers, Thor Odinson and Bruce Banner left this morning for the celebrations at Washington Square Park."

"What?" Tony shouted.

"See, I told you. He's still at the hospital," said Steve. Tony shook his head angrily and Thor crossed his arms over his chest, staring at Tony with a confused glance.

"Why is it so vital you must speak with him?" the demigod asked. Tony gave a frustrated sigh.

"I just...I have to..." Tony trailed off when he noticed Pepper was biting her lip; a habit, Tony notices, she does when she's nervous. "Pep, what's wrong?"

He walked enough steps so he was standing in front of her.

"Bruce hasn't returned either," she said.

"He's a big boy. He can take care of himself in the city," said Tony. Pepper shook her head.

"No Tony, he's your friend and you upset him. Clint will be here this evening and you can talk to him then but right now Bruce is missing. You need to go find him."

The gnawing in the pit of his stomach returned. He knew what the feeling was now and it certainly wasn't butterflies and it wasn't a feeling he was used to. Guilt. He looked deeply into Pepper's eyes and saw a small pleading there. If there was one thing he loved most about her, it was that she was always thinking of the feelings of others. For now Tony put getting answers out of Clint in the back of his mind. He had more important things to do.

"Alright, I'll go find him. Steve search around the local areas, Thor you're on border patrol and I'll scan the city from below. Pepper you stay here and let us know if he comes back," said Tony. Pepper's face brightened as the boys put Tony's plan into action. Steve headed to the elevator and to his motorbike in the underground garage while Thor walked out the double doors Tony had entered in and took off with Mjölnir leading the way.

Before Tony suited up and prepared to fly around in the darkening sky Pepper gave him a lingering kiss on the lips.

"I know you Tony and I know you're worried about him too," she said, pulling away.

"How is it that you know everything about me?" Tony asked, amazed by her.

"I made it my business to know." Sharing one more kiss Tony stepped outside and let his suit build up around him before starting his thrusters and rocketing up away from the tower. In his helmet JARVIS brought up a satellite view of the land below Tony was flying over and a green bar made its way left and right across the screen.

"No gamma radiation signals discovered sir," JARVIS would point out now and then.

"Keep searching," was Tony's answer every time. He knew Bruce could take care of himself but the guilt in his stomach wouldn't settle until he knew that Bruce was okay and that they were still friends. He knew the scientist didn't have many, he had kept himself to himself, and Tony had been the first one out the team to trust not just Banner but the Hulk too and Bruce had really appreciated that.

As the hours went on the afternoon slowly turned to night and the faint stars could be seen over the light polluted city. Tony was zooming over Little Italy when Pepper rang him at quarter to ten.

"Tony," she said. "Bruce has just come back. He's fine."

"I'll be there in a minute," said Tony. Like a shooting star Tony streaked full speed back to the tower, dodging between skyscrapers as he went. He landed wobbly on the pad and quickly had his armour removed. Pepper was holding the doors open for him and he gave her a hug as they walked inside.

"He's upstairs," she said. Then she sighed and rolled her neck round making it crick. She moaned. "I could do with a nice hot bath tonight."

"I'll run you one as soon as I've taken care of Bruce," said Tony, going up the stairs two at a time. Pepper gave him a grateful smile. When Tony entered the war room Bruce was sitting at his desk idly tapping his pen while looking out the windows all around at the city lights.

"So?" Tony asked, slowly stepping into the room and making is presences known. "Where have you been?" Bruce snapped out of his trance and looked over at Tony. He looked a lot calmer now, which Tony was thankful of.

"I took a walk," Bruce said simply.

"A walk?" repeated Tony.

"Yeah a walk...to clear my head," said Bruce. Tony opened his mouth but what came out of Bruce's mouth stunned Tony to silence. "I'm sorry."

Tony frowned and after a couple of minutes, he got his voice back. "Isn't that what I was supposed to say?"

Bruce stood up and came to stand opposite Tony. "You will do in a minute but earlier you said some good things...in a wrong way, mind you...and it got me thinking. I shouldn't be avoiding Betty, that's all I've done since coming back to the city. I should at least see her and if anything happens between us I shouldn't cower from it. I figured if you and Pepper can have a stable relationship, I can too. I shouldn't be wasting my time and hiding my life away. I've had enough of that and I know it won't be easy but..."

"But when has life ever been easy?" Tony finished. The two gave each other a smile.

"I'm sorry too," said Tony. "I shouldn't have made you angry."

"You make me angry on a daily basis but I accept your apology," said Bruce. An awkward silence passed between them before they gave each other a small brotherly hug. When they stood apart afterwards they gave some manly coughs and Bruce went to look at the view again but Tony was thinking about what Bruce had said.

"You know you're right," said Tony, making Bruce turn around and look at him. "We shouldn't be wasting time...I'm going to propose to Pepper tonight."

"What right now? You're just going to go downstairs and pop the question?" Bruce asked, surprised.

"Not in front of you all. She wants a bath so I'll do it there. Does that sound okay?" Tony asked, a little unsure.

"It sounds perfect, have some candlelight in there though," said Bruce. Tony nodded.

The two went downstairs and Tony went into his and Pepper's shared bedroom plus ensuite bathroom and started to run a bath, add a half a bottle of bubble bath and lighted some scented candles around the room. He then joined Steve, Thor, Bruce and Pepper in the kitchen who were all sat around the table drinking a cup of tea.

"Your bath is running, my dear," Tony announced. Pepper got up from her chair.

"Excuse me gentlemen," excused Pepper. She gave a hinting look in Tony's direction as she passed by and then promptly left the kitchen area. Tony turned to the guys and checked his reflection in a tea stained tea-spoon.

"How do I look?" Thor and Steve frowned but Bruce rolled his eyes.

"You look like a guy about to propose...opps. Should I have said that?" Bruce asked, his eyes darting to Steve and Thor.

"They didn't know but I guess now they do," said Tony. Thor's lips upturned into a huge smile.

"You are to propose to the maiden Potts? That is victorious news," he said.

An ear-splitting scream cut off Tony's reply. All four heads swivelled in the direction it had come from...Tony and Pepper's bedroom. In a massive rush, with Tony leading the way, the four men burst into the bedroom where Pepper, wrapped in a dressing gown, collided into Tony's chest.

"Pepper, what's wrong?" Tony asked, feeling his heart going a mile a minute. He looked into her blue eyes that were lined with scared tears.

"T-The bathroom," was all she could mutter. Tony kept hold of her hand and slowly the five of them approached the bathroom doorway. Reaching in a hand Tony found the light switch and turned it on.

Clint Barton sat in the bath looking very embarrassed. Tony narrowed his eyes.

"Guys, take Pepper back in the lounge. I need to talk to Clint alone," he said, his voice straining with anger. Steve put a comforting arm around Pepper's shoulders and led her back to the lounge with Bruce and Thor following. When they were a safe distance away Clint held up his hands.

"Now before you punch my lights out-,"

Tony clenched his fists. "Why have you been destroying every effort I put into asking Pepper to marry me?"

Clint looked generally apologetic. "It isn't me. I said I was sorry on the arrow but I guess the message didn't go through your brain enough as much as I wanted it too. Tony you're a great guy for letting all of us stay here and I have nothing against you-."

"THEN WHY?" Tony shouted. The tap dripped and dropped.

"But it was nothing personal. I was following orders," Clint finished.

And like a light bulb appearing over his head the answer came to Tony and if he had been angry before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now. He marched a furious stride out the bedroom and to the living room. He didn't care to hear Clint get out the bath or calling his name to stop, he kept on moving. In the living area Steve, Thor and Bruce sat with Pepper who had calmed down now believing Steve's story that Clint has just ended up in the wrong bathroom by mistake when Tony burst into the room and over to the double doors.

"Tony? Where are you going?" Pepper asked concerned.

"To a meeting with Fury," he said. Before stepping out into the chilly night air but he wasn't cold for long when his Iron Man suit built itself around him and he took off towards the direction of the Helicarrier.

* * *

**These assassins just appear out of nowhere. ;)**

**About the BrucexBetty story line, that's a little intro I guess if I decided to write another story which will follow on from this one.  
**

**So yeah stay tuned for the next chapter because Tony's not very happy with Fury right now.  
**

**I hope you all enjoyed the chapter and I shall update when I can. Don't forget to leave a review.  
**

**Reeves3.  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything that you recognise.**

**Author's Note: It's an update! I am sorry for the delay, ever since I came back off holiday things have just been busy at home and I've had writers block so that didn't help too much, but I finally got round to finishing off this chapter yesterday.  
**

**Big thank you's to Miel14, DoctorLia, Wonderwomanbatmanfan, Arrows the Wolf, sabaku no nathzu uchiha, Mi55 5tarFir3, Robin'sGirlStar12, katarina97, StarkObsessed, monalisamorocha, Mischief-Memories, ConnorVolturi, LouBlue, belgiques, fantasia-49, XBlueXCandyX, chocolate-licious and Ally Downey for reviewing on the last chapter.  
**

**Just 15 reviews away until we hit the 100 mark! That'll make me very happy.  
**

**Right, enjoy this chapter readers and I shall update when I can.  
**

**Reeves3.  
**

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

If he hadn't been so angry Tony would have been impressed by his new record time of reaching the Helicarrier, docked in the Hudson River for repairs still, from Stark Tower. The HUD in front of his eyes scanned the entire aircraft and focused on the main headquarters. S.H.I.E.L.D agents were sitting at the computers working while two people patrolled around the room. Tony targeted on one man standing in-between the two control panels. As the image zoomed in closer Tony could see Nick Fury waiting, looking bored, with his hands clasped behind his back.

Tony's upper lip curled up into a snarl and he shot, like a bullet, through the giant windows at the front of the carrier, sending shattered shards of glass to the floor. Iron Man impacted with Nick Fury with a hard thud sent him across the room. They landed on the conference table towards the back of the room where Fury had once spoke to him and Captain America about the Avengers Initiative after learning about Coulson's death. Surprised by the sudden attack the agents immediately pulled out their guns and aimed them at Iron Man.

"I was wondering when you were going to show up," grunted out Nick. Tony stood over him with one hand pinning him to the table and the other took off his helmet, threw it to the ground and raised his fist to strike.

"Give me a good reason why I shouldn't take out your other eye!" Tony growled. Fury gave him an unimpressed look and grunted out.

"You're surrounded by agents who know how to break a neck with their little finger."

Tony couldn't care less about the agents behind him aiming their weapons at the back of his head however he did care when someone pinched his shoulder in a firm grip causing all of his body to go numb. He looked and saw Natasha pulling him off Fury and dragging him back to the steps where Maria Hill was standing with her gun poised in the air. Natasha let him go causing Tony to stumble as he regained the use of his legs.

"Don't do that!" he snapped. Natasha shrugged and Fury sat up and rotated his shoulder making it crick.

"I understand you're angry Stark-," Tony let out a sardonic laugh, "-but you have to believe me I did it for your best intentions."

"Best intentions? Why should you care? And why should I believe you? What have you done to make me want to believe you or trust you? You're just a pain in the ass spy," shouted Tony. He raised a hand and for a moment everyone thought he was going to use his repulsor but instead Tony raised a metal middle finger in Fury's direction. The man with the eye patch sighed deeply.

"Agents could you give Mr Stark and I some privacy? Hill, Romanoff you can stay."

One by one the agents put their weapons away and filed out of the room. Tony kept his glaring eyes on Nick while Maria, Natasha and Fury kept sharing glances. No one in the room spoke or made a move until the last agent left and the doors closed shut behind him.

"I want an explanation and it better be a damn good one!" Tony said, struggling to keep his voice even as his rage coursed through his blood.

Just as Fury opened his mouth to explain a rumble of thunder filled the sky along with the sound of a faint humming that Tony recognised immediately as an engine. Through the broken window Thor, carrying Steve, led his way into the room using his hammer.

"Tony, don't kill Fury!" Steve yelled.

"I haven't," replied Tony, dryly. _'Yet,'_ he mentally added.

Thor settled them down next to Maria and Natasha. A second later Hawkeye, now fully dressed since his bath, drove into the room on his sky cycle with Bruce seated on the back. The archer parked it on the floor by all the computers and the two rushed up to the rest of the group. Tony looked around.

"Wait, did you guys leave Pepper alone?" he asked.

"I told her it was an emergency meeting and she told us to come. She said she's going to bed," explained Clint.

"Don't worry Tony I think she got over the shock of seeing Clint in the bath," said Steve. Natasha raised her eyebrows.

"Yeah what the hell did you think you were doing?" Tony asked.

"I too would like to know. Is it a custom on Midgard?" questioned Thor, in his innocent and confused way.

"No!" Tony, Steve, Bruce and Clint all yelled simultaneously. All of them didn't need Thor to randomly pop into their bathrooms while they were in use. Clint pointed at Fury and everyone looked at him.

"I was following his orders! He told me to stop it anyway I could."

"You could have just blown out the candles and drained the water. You didn't have to get in it," said Maria. Barton shrugged his shoulders.

"It was improvisation."

Tony glared at Hill. "You're in on it too?"

"From the start," answered Maria. Tony shook his head.

"How did S.H.I.E.L.D even find out I was going to propose?" he asked. A thought suddenly occurred to him and he looked over a Bruce with a slight hurt expression. "Did you tell them?"

Bruce shook his head. "I didn't say a word. I don't know how they found out."

As usual Fury had the answer. "Actually we heard on our own accord. What you don't know is that the war room has microphones in that links to S.H.I.E.L.D so we can keep a listen out on your work at all times."

"I didn't plan that," argued Tony, thinking back when he and Pepper rebuilt Stark Tower.

"No it was my idea," said Nick.

"Well I'm getting rid of it," snapped Tony. He was even more furious now. How dare S.H.I.E.L.D sneak hidden microphones into his building? "Y-Y-You have no right to get involved with my property or Pepper!"

"S.H.I.E.L.D has every right."

"And," added Natasha, "didn't you get J.A.R.V.I.S to hack into S.H.I.E.L.D when you were here working on the tesseract with Banner?"

Tony decided to ignore her comment and stay focused on Fury. "Not with this. Not with me and Pepper. I want to know everything you've done and why!"

Everyone's eyes turned to Fury and watched him closely as he calmly walked down the steps and over to the two control panels before finally speaking. Tony followed him down the stairs but remained at the bottom while everyone else leaned against the railings and watched Fury in the centre of the room.

"It started when we overheard-,"

"Eavesdropped," corrected Tony. Fury wiped round and stared fiercely at him with his good eye.

"I'm not going to tell you if you keep interrupting me." Tony remained silent and Fury continued. "Overheard you, Stark, talking to Banner about proposing to Miss Potts and requesting him to go get the ring for you. Hill heard this and reported back to me so I asked an agent to station himself on a nearby rooftop and call me to confirm Stark had the ring in his procession. The following few days afterwards we found out how you were going to propose."

"So you rang up Asgard and asked if Thor could pop by?" Tony asked more sceptical that accusation.

"Actually, we didn't plan his appearance. He just showed up. We had Barton on standby aiming at the electric billboard you were going to use as your display."

"I wasn't aware I was stopping your proposal of undying love Man of Iron to the maiden Potts. I am genuinely sorry," said Thor.

"It's okay Thor, I'm not mad at you. I'm mad at them," said Tony, pointing a finger at Fury. Nick ignored the finger pointing and carried on speaking as though Thor and Tony hadn't butted into the conversation.

"Anyway while Potts was in Malibu we heard Stark ridiculously trying to plan his next proposal-,"

"I have a question actually about that," said Maria, looking down at Tony. "Planning to steal a blue horn from the restaurant where you had your first date? What's that all about?"

"I thought it would be romantic," he answered. Maria rolled her eyes and Fury spoke up.

"When Banner gave Stark the idea for a picnic we sent Steve to interrupt it. Luckily the Captain had arrived at the Helicarrier that morning so we sent him to the park with specific orders."

"Why did you listen to them? You're not an S.H.I.E.L.D agent," said Tony turning around to glare up at his teammate. Steve rubbed the back of his neck.

"I'm a soldier. I follow the orders of my commanding officer which is Fury because I joined the Avengers," said Steve, guiltily. "I didn't want to be there but Fury told me there was a good reason to stop it so I did. I'm sorry."

"After the Captains success we then overheard you saying you were going to propose at the Canyon Ranch. So we sent Romanoff to stop that one. We knew by then you were getting suspicious but you didn't know who was behind it all. Then this morning before the celebration at Washington Square Park we heard you talking on the phone to the skywriting company and we got Barton to stop it where he ended up disobeying orders-"

"I stopped the proposal didn't I?" asked Clint, crossing his arms over his chest. "I told Tony I was sorry but I got the job done that makes it a success."

"And what brought Stark here?" Fury asked.

"Okay I might have told him I was following orders. Tony figured out the rest," said Clint.

"You gave him a pretty big clue," said Natasha. Clint glared at her and the room fell quite. Tony turned in a full circle so he could look at all of them.

"No one has explained yet why you did this," he said, quietly.

"We've been protecting her," Nick announced.

"Protecting her? What from?" Tony asked, his anger melting away into concern. Fury decided to give him the short answer.

"You." Tony frowned and turned his armoured body to face Fury in a threatening stance, his hands clenched into fists.

"I would never harm Pepper," he growled out.

"Not you but your enemies, they will," said Fury. "At S.H.I.E.L.D we don't only protect the team. We protect those who are involved with The Avengers. If you make Pepper your wife she will become the number one target to your enemies!"

Tony's anger took a temporary break from his body as Fury's words swirled around in his mind. Everyone remained quite to give Tony time to think but after a couple of minutes they were surprised to hear the billionaire laugh.

"What's so funny?" Fury asked, unimpressed.

"I'm laughing at the irony," Tony answered. "All this time you've been stopping my proposals to protect her when the thing you should have done is to let me propose so I can protect her."

"This isn't a laughing matter Stark. Now listen-,"

"NO! You listen to me!" Tony yelled causing a few people in the room to jump at the sudden volume change in his voice as others stared at him in shock. All the humour had vanished now and there was a burning passion in his eyes that was rarely ever seen.

"She already is a target! She has been from the moment I became Iron Man. Stane knew that and he tried to kill her and I know there will be others. The one thing I regret most when I informed the world my secret identity was Pepper. Because I knew if enemies found out how I always have to rely on her, they would target her and my fears became even worse when she and I became a couple. But if anyone even thinks about hurting her I will fight for her! That's what I promise when I ask her to be my wife! All of you know how far I'm willing to go to keep her safe."

Tony paused to catch his breath and when he spoke again the fire had died out in his eyes a little but he spoke with all his heart.

"Do you know what I told Coulson when he brought me here? Keep love alive. That's what I'm doing because if I go, I don't want Pepper to think that I didn't love her, I would want to show her and tell her every day what she means to me. Why else did you think I made that phone call? Fury, your concern is appreciated, not when you stop my proposal attempts, but when it comes to Pepper, I know what I'm doing, despite what some of you may think, and I've thought about this a lot and I want to be her husband. And if Pepper is targeted and taken, I should hope that S.H.I.E.L.D will help me find her but I need to know first if they're on my side and have my support."

Looking up at the platform above him Tony watched his teammates nod their heads and made murmurs of agreement until only Fury was left who was strangely looking at him with a bit of pride in his features.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" he asked.

"More sure than taking a nuke into deep space," said Tony, honestly.

"Good," said Fury. He paused for a minute as he thought about what Tony had said and then he spoke. "You have S.H.I.E.L.D's support and my apologies."

Tony gave a small incline to his head as a thank you.

* * *

**I think I'll leave it there. Fury's intentions were pure, he didn't mean any harm, he just took a stupid way to show it.  
**

**The proposal is in the next chapter!  
**

**Don't forget to leave a review, lets see if we can get to 100, and I hoped you all enjoyed the chapter.  
**

**Reeves3.  
**


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